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ERP for Small Businesses A Buyer’s Guide ERP for Small Businesses: A Buyer’s Guide Table of Contents

5 Preface by Sidney Hill, Principal, SJR Communications

6 ERP for Small Businesses: A Buyer’s Guide by Gabriel Gheorghiu and Aleksey Osintsev, TEC analysts

Spotlight on SaaS

27 Thought Leadership from SAP How Small and Midsize Businesses Reap Benefits by Using Software as a Service

31 SAP Case Study Tam Ceramics SAP® Solution Perfect Fit for Post-Acquisition Ceramics Specialist

33 NetSuite Case Study NetSuite: Distribution Video & Audio

37 NetSuite Case Study NetSuite : Cartridge World

Spotlight on Manufacturing and Distribution

42 Thought Leadership from Sage Sage ERP Solutions

45 Pronto Software Case Study Pronto Software | Success never tasted so good

49 Pronto Software Case Study Parksite | Laying a growth foundation with Pronto Software 53 ABAS Case Study J. Schmalz GmbH user report

58 ABAS Case Study User Report: Weinig Group

61 SYSPRO Case Study SYSPRO Case Study: Daprano & Company

Spotlight on Financials 65 Corefino Case Study Corefino Case Study—CHPCC

69 Intacct Case Study OpSource Improves Global Business Management and Streamlines Revenue Recognition with Intacct

73 Sage Case Study Sage Accpac Extended Enterprise Suite Enables Island Lake Resort to Grow Despite Stiff Competition

77 Sage Case Study Sage MAS 90 is the Perfect Profile for Digital Signal Corporation

82 Vendor Directory Preface by Sidney Hill, Principal, SJR Communications

The nature of business has changed dramatically in the Internet On the surface, that’s a difficult question for small business age. And small businesses may be feeling the greatest impact. owners because ERP systems historically have been associated with large organizations that fill large number of orders for With advances in technology breaking down geographic numerous customers. There also is a widespread perception barriers, even companies with just a few million dollars in that installing and maintaining an ERP system is a time- annual revenue find themselves operating on a global scale, consuming, expensive undertaking—and much too complex with customers, suppliers, and other business partners located for any small business. all over the world. Fortunately, however, technological advances have transformed Most small business owners welcome these changes because the nature of ERP as well. they have given them access to markets that previously were open only to the largest corporations. At the same time, Numerous vendors now offer ERP systems that are easy to install, however, small business owners are starting to realize that use, and maintain, putting them well within the reach—from being on equal footing with large enterprises when it comes both a technical and financial standpoint—of small enterprises. to access to markets also forces them to deal with many of the same problems that confront larger organizations. These systems give small businesses the tools they need to compete in the global marketplace without busting their For instance, the cost of shipping and receiving goods across budgets. borders must be accounted for when devising business strategies. In addition, complying with environmental As more small business owners realize that Word documents regulations, tax laws, and other policies in multiple countries and Excel spreadsheets are not sufficient for managing a increases the complexity of running a business. twenty-first-century enterprise, they no doubt will want to explore this new generation of ERP systems. Using this Buyer’s Global competition also is forcing companies—both large and Guide from Technology Evaluation Centers would be a good small—to do more to meet the needs of individual customers. first step on that journey. It provides a basis for tackling all the For manufacturing companies, this means building and issues that come with evaluating and selecting the right ERP managing more products, as well as maintaining better records system for a particular business. of customer preferences when it comes to products, methods ERP for Small Businesses - A Buyer’s Guide of delivery, and issues related to service. If you’re a small business owner considering ERP, you undoubtedly have numerous questions. Should you choose an Small businesses that count larger enterprises as customers on-premise, on-demand, or open-source system? Should you often must also adopt a specific form of information manage the selection and implementation process yourself, or technology (such as electronic data interchange [EDI]), connect rely on outside consultants? to a particular supplier network, or transmit documents in exact formats. These questions—and many others—are addressed in this guide. Open it, and begin the process of improving the way you With all these factors to consider, small business owners run your business. increasingly have to confront one essential question: Do we need an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system? 5 ERP for Small Businesses: A Buyer’s Guide

by Gabriel Gheorghiu and Aleksey Osintsev, TEC analysts

This guide is intended for owners and managers of small • The majority of IT-related decisions are prepared and companies, and anyone interested in knowing more about made by the top managers or business owners, who enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems. are usually not professionals in complex corporate informational systems selection, deployment, and There are many definitions of “small business,” but most of exploitation. them are similar—usually differing only in annual revenue levels and employee numbers. These definitions may differ • Employee knowledge of ERP is minimal or based only on from one information source to another, and largely depend experience with legacy systems. on the objectives of a grouping process. The revenue and employee parameters tend to be higher in the United States The small-business demand for corporate information (US) but lower in Europe or Asia, and also depend on industry systems grows every year, as evidenced by the increased type and other factors. For the purposes of this guide, we number of small companies selecting and implementing ERP categorize small businesses in the following way (all dollar systems. This market segment is too significant to be ignored, figures expressed as USD): and software vendors have certainly responded. Unlike ten years ago, they now offer a considerable number of systems • Micro businesses: 1 to 20 employees, with revenues of all types and price points designed or adjusted for small under $5 million businesses. To understand how big the market is, here are • Small businesses: 20 to 200 employees, with revenues some US statistics (source: United States Small Business from $5 to 50 million Administration, The Small Business Economy; A Report to the • Small to medium businesses: 200 to 500 employees, President 2009): out of over 6.1 million employers, 5.9 million with revenues of $50 million and over (or 96 percent) are companies that employ less than 100 permanent employees. More than 36 percent of all US full- These three categories of small business typically share the time workers are small business employees. We observe following characteristics: similar proportions in almost every country—and this curve seems to be rising yearly. • They have no full-time in-house IT staff, or they have only a few people tasked with hardware and network On the other hand, the number of small businesses currently maintenance and office applications support. using an integrated computer-based management system is not that high. The majority of small businesses use non- centralized manual or spreadsheet-based procedures, or use legacy systems that often do not reflect a challenging reality

ERP for Small Businesses - A Buyer’s Guide Buyer’s A - Businesses Small for ERP and in fact retard a company’s development and growth.

6 The trends and market tendencies described in this guide are Each category certainly has its own weaknesses and related to small business IT products that have existed for at strengths, but either can be appropriate for a small business. least a few years. They’ve been proven and put to the test in Also, during the last few years, the distinction between the context of the global economic downturn. Indeed, many the categories has become blurrier: large-scale traditional managers and business owners see this challenging time as systems have become much more affordable (without a good opportunity to rethink and remodel their businesses, significant functionality loss), while at the same time, vendors and prepare for forthcoming growth and demand escalation. of small business systems have extended and developed their packages considerably.

ERP Systems for Small In terms of the ERP software selection process, small businesses have their own requirements and unique Business: Do They Actually characteristics: Help? • They are usually more sensitive to economic uncertainty Small businesses face the some of the same business and to the ramifications of flawed business decisions, challenges as medium and larger companies, including and therefore need to make more careful investment pressure from competitors; global economic volatility; decisions. the need to attract and retain new customers; and the need to reduce expenses and increase profitability. Small • Fewer financial resources are available for IT projects, as organizations also have additional constraints, including access to financing is more problematic. limited access to financial resources; higher day-to-day operational costs; and difficulties in hiring highly qualified • They are less savvy with respect to IT generally and (and therefore expensive) personnel. These factors can ERP systems particularly, and are more dependent on impede growth and complicate business processes. external information and field experts.

Software products intended for small businesses usually • Strategic IT decisions are made by owners or top accommodate specific small-business requirements and fall management, based mostly on personal experience or within two major application categories: open-source information.

• light versions of mid- or large-sized ERP systems with • Despite their relatively small size, they often require the ERP for Small Businesses - A Buyer’s Guide scaled-down functionality (these versions are typically same level of ERP functionality as larger companies. easier to install and maintain)

• ERP systems that were specifically designed and developed for small companies

7 Here are some of the expected general benefits of ERP ERP for Small Businesses: implementations for small businesses: Myths, Misunderstandings, • An ERP implementation project is a perfect opportunity and Challenges to discover, define, and streamline your business processes and make them more effective. When it comes to ERP for small businesses, there’s no shortage of misunderstandings and myths—as well as very • An ERP system implementation also gives you the real challenges and dangers. We summarize some of what opportunity to revise and update master data (i.e., you need to know below: non-transactional data such as product information, customers, suppliers, technology, etc.). Myths and Misunderstandings • Myth #1: ERP systems are too sophisticated, and • You can more clearly understand your cost structure are really only for medium and large companies. and identify opportunities for improvement. This used to be true, about 10 to 15 years ago. Now, ERP vendors have adapted their products and even • In a manufacturing environment, an ERP system provides designed brand new applications specifically to meet traceability for finished goods— costing structure and the needs of small business. They have reduced the level sources are fully visible, from raw components to the of complexity for users, and the variety of offerings on final step. the market is really quite extensive. On the other hand, many small companies have “raised their game” (in the • Company data is centralized, data duplication is sense that they often compete in the same markets as eliminated, and data entry errors are minimized. bigger companies) and now require functionality similar to that which is available to their larger rivals (but on a • Personnel are involved in decision-making processes via smaller scale, of course). access to reporting tools. All required decision support data can be made available instantly and with minimum • Myth #2: Small businesses do not need ERP: effort. everything can be successfully managed and tracked manually by using relatively simple tools such as • A well implemented ERP system dramatically improves Excel or basic accounting systems. A business may be your level of customer service. relatively small, but that doesn’t mean that the number of transactions it performs daily is trivial. Furthermore, • Sometimes savings can be realized by reducing the there is a huge difference between “simple” and “ERP- number of personnel, or by making existing staff more based” approaches to doing business. A centralized data efficient. repository, one-time data entry, instant data availability for analysis, and imbedded best business practices: all these technological advantages can and should be demanded by smaller-sized businesses, no matter what industry they are working in. Modern customers also expect the same high level of service and support from ERP for Small Businesses - A Buyer’s Guide Buyer’s A - Businesses Small for ERP small businesses that they receive from large businesses, and ERP systems can also help a lot there. 8 • Myth #3: Hardware and the associated infrastructure point in a company’s life cycle can be an advantageous are prohibitively expensive. In the past, personal opportunity in its own right, and is an extremely computers were not always powerful enough to run important step along with ERP system implementation. ERP systems. This is no longer true. Similarly, network bandwidth is available today to a much greater extent. • Selecting software can be difficult for small New technologies have transformed ERP systems businesses. into software that any user’s computer is capable of This is especially true if almost no one at your company running simultaneously with other office applications. is experienced in ERP selection, implementation, Furthermore, software as a service (SaaS) does not and exploitation. And while there is a large volume require any special hardware purchase or installation of information on the Internet, real-life examples of beyond an Internet connection. competitors and peer companies, and advertisements galore from software vendors, the ultimate decision must be based strictly on your own vision and strategy. Challenges and Dangers Another component of this challenge is that ERP-related • The total cost of an ERP package is difficult to strategic decisions are usually made only once, and calculate. must be well thought out and reasonable, as the system This depends heavily on the software selected, and should be capable of helping run your business for at differs from one package to another. The purchase least 7 to 10 years. of an ERP system requires certain efforts in terms of a company’s financial and strategic planning. In addition to relatively high cost, the cost structure for an ERP system is often a complex and confusing subject for unsuspecting purchasers, as it consists of many separate items and usually cannot be easily grasped as a whole. It must be noted that the SaaS-based ERP deployment approach has dramatically turned the cost and payments model into an easier-to-understand and more user-friendly model.

• ERP implementation can result in significant changes ERP for Small Businesses - A Buyer’s Guide to your existing business processes. All ERP implementation projects generate many changes in all aspects of a business. At the same time, most small companies feel they need to change their management principles and styles once they have reached a certain level of growth: the goal is to become a company with professional management, an internal hierarchy, and formal back-office procedures. Not all companies succeed in this transition from a “friendship club” to a structured business machine. However, this

9 Take the Quiz: “Do I Really Need an ERP System?”

To help you understand whether an ERP system is required b. We share drives and try to be organized. (5 points) to help you run your business, we created the following quiz, c. We have an e-mail and file server and we all use it. (0 which contains some of the most important questions a points) company should answer when thinking about buying an ERP system. 5. How easily can you follow what’s going on in your company? (this refers mainly to inventory, sales, purchasing, For each answer, you will receive a number of points. At the and accounting) end of the quiz, add your points to calculate your final score. a. We try to gather data from everyone, but we have to cobble the information together. (10 points) 1. How much duplicate work do you do on a daily basis? (e.g., b. My employees send me reports and we try to keep entering received payments in both the accounting system track of what we do. (5 points) and spreadsheet software) c. We have very well defined workflows and work a. 0 to 30 percent of my work (0 points) procedures. (0 points) b. 31 to 60 percent of my work (5 points) c. 61 percent or more (10 points) 6. How do you keep track of sales orders and invoices? a. We use a system provided by a partner, spreadsheets, 2. How many different systems/programs do you use or an accounting system, or a combination of all every day? (including office tools and interfaces with other three methods. (10 points) systems) b. We have software in place, but still need a second a. 1 to 3 systems/applications (0 points) tool, especially for reporting. (5 points) b. 4 or 5 systems/applications (5 points) c. Everything goes into one system. (0 points) c. More than 5 systems/applications (10 points) 7. How do you track inventory? 3. What are the chances you can recover information from a a. On paper and in spreadsheets. (10 points) computer that cannot be used anymore? b. We use spreadsheets in conjunction with old software a. No chance. If I lose a computer, the information is lost. which is not very reliable. (5 points) (10 points) c. We already have a software system that is suited to b. It might be possible. We sometimes back up data on our needs. (0 points) CD/DVD or external hard drives. (5 points) c. No problem. We have a server and we do regular 8. How do you think your company growth will affect all the backups of all important information. (0 points) processes above? a. No effect. Our business will not become much more 4. How easily can you exchange information between complex. (0 points) employees? b. Somewhat. Things are going to change, but not a. We send files by e-mail, but we often lose track of dramatically. (5 points)

ERP for Small Businesses - A Buyer’s Guide Buyer’s A - Businesses Small for ERP different versions or cannot find the files. (10 points) c. Drastically. We definitely need to review our business processes soon. (10 points) 10 9. How many people are using a computer in your company? For the purposes of this guide, we define business maturity a. 1 to 10 people. (0 points) as follows: b. 11 to 50 people. (5 points) c. More than 50 people. (10 points) • Your business has a long-term business plan, and mid- and short-term strategies for business development. 10. What are your future plans for your company? It has time-framed goals, and a clear understanding of a. We intend to grow rapidly and aggressively how to achieve them. approach new markets and customers. (10 points) b. We will grow, but slowly. (5 points) • Top management or business owners consider business c. We’re fine and do not intend to change much. (0 processes improvements as a vitally important potential points) benefit of the ERP implementation project.

Here’s how you should interpret • Top management or business owners recognize the your answers: benefits of data centralization and one-time data entry 0 to 25 points: You are not planning for much company principles. growth, or you already have an ERP system in place, and you are pretty well organized. In both cases, there is no real need • Business processes are well defined and, ideally, for a new ERP solution: you’re doing very well with what you described in written form. At a minimum, the business have right now. processes description task should be a component of plans for the near future. 26 to 50 points: You are planning for some growth in the future, or you have an old system or package of tools that are quite efficient. Even though an integrated solution might help you in your daily tasks, the investment required probably outweighs the benefits.

51 to 75 points: The solutions or tools you are using are either obsolete or lack the complexity required by your business processes. Although they may be useable, you should start looking to implement an ERP product in the near future. ERP for Small Businesses - A Buyer’s Guide

76 to 100 points: You need an ERP system and you need it badly. Still, this does not mean you have to buy the first product you see that meets your needs. It is vital that you conduct a best-practice ERP selection process.

Caveat: Any business thinking of ERP must have reached a certain level of maturity before seriously considering ERP implementation.

11 The Path to ERP for Small Businesses

An ERP selection and implementation project is a real #2: Small businesses that are currently running an challenge for any organization—and small businesses are ERP system where central data is available but that are no exception. Certainly, the project is smaller, and the level of thinking of replacing the ERP system complexity is lower than for medium or large enterprises; but • The master data creation task for these companies is it will still require ongoing attention and involvement from easier, since most of the data will be migrated from the management. old system. Still, considering the fact that databases from different vendors have a different structure, data There are two major categories of small businesses, and their migration can still be a challenge. implementation strategies differ: • Personnel education and end-user training are easier, as #1: Small businesses not running a centralized ERP employees are already experienced with the previous system, or that use only an accounting application or sets system. On the other hand, users will naturally compare of spreadsheets the new system with the old one, and attempt to apply • Human-related activities will need very close attention the logic of the old system when using the new one, from the ERP project manager. A business’s personnel which can lead to system misuse. will require ERP education sessions and highly detailed user training. Users may resist change, so you should When looking for business software, small companies often consider issue resolution approaches at the project fall into the trap of being selected by vendors instead of planning stage. proactively selecting vendors. This usually happens because small companies sometimes do not allocate sufficient time • Master data file preparation can be a serious challenge and resources to the process, and do not have selection for your project team. If you have various sources of methodologies in place. The risk is that if a vendor’s offering dispersed information, you will need to conduct a appears to fit the company’s needs, decision makers will significant effort of data preparation, entering, migration, select that product without further investigation. We’ll and verification. spend the rest of this guide addressing some considerations for selecting an ERP system that does match your business requirements. ERP for Small Businesses - A Buyer’s Guide Buyer’s A - Businesses Small for ERP

12 Difficult Choices When conducting research on ERP software, you will be exposed to many opposing and sometimes confusing points of view. Indeed, it can be difficult to distinguish current software trends from the issues that really matter to your business. We’ll turn now to some common dichotomies that you’ll encounter during your research, and explore the pros and cons of each:

• on-premise versus software as a service (SaaS) • free and open source software (FOSS) versus proprietary software • old technology versus new technology

On-premise ERP Software versus SaaS/On-demand ERP SaaS/on-demand is an alternative to on-premise software. “On-premise” refers to the fact that the software is installed on a server in your company, and users access that server when they work. SaaS/on-demand vendors, on the other hand, manage the software and your data on their own servers, and users must connect via the Internet to do their work.

Pros Cons

• You have total control over your data • The product requires IT administration. • The product may cost less than SaaS in the long term. • There may be hardware and software costs for • Products are generally more comprehensive and additional systems or upgrades. mature. • Updates can take more time and resources to apply, • You can work independently of Internet connectivity. which affects usage. • You have more flexibility in terms of modification or • Disaster recovery can be very slow or impossible. On-premise customization. • You will pay recurring maintenance fees.

• The initial cost is often lower than for on-premise • The product may be more expensive than on-premise applications. applications in the long term. • You can deploy the solution quickly. • You may have limited access to your data. • The implementation cost is usually lower than for on- • You have less control over your data.

premise applications. • The market is not yet very developed. ERP for Small Businesses - A Buyer’s Guide • No or few internal IT staff are needed. • You may be affected by technical problems on the • Updates do not affect your work very much. vendor side. • Unique or non-standard requirements usually cannot SaaS/On-demand be supported. • Integration with other corporate software is more problematic.

13 Free and Open Source Software versus Proprietary Software Generally speaking, free and open source software (FOSS) refers to software provided under a license that allows you to freely study, modify, and distribute the software’s code. Conversely, with proprietary software it’s usually only the vendor and its partners that have the right to see, modify, or distribute the software’s code. Note that FOSS is not always free of cost. You will have to pay for support and maintenance from the vendor, just as with proprietary software. However, if you can handle customizing the source code yourself, you may elect to use an unsupported version. The vendor will probably charge you if you request support.

Pros Cons

• You have the freedom to change or modify the • If you make your own customizations, you will need software as required. qualified personnel to properly maintain and develop • Thanks to FOSS communities, development, and the software. innovation tend to be fast-paced. • If you customize the application independently of • Competing vendors adopt each other’s changes, and the vendor’s supported version, the vendor’s updates adaptations from other members of the community might adversely affect your customizations. are likewise incorporated. • There are fewer mature open source ERP products.

FOSS • You pay for support, customization, and • Generally, FOSS vendors are smaller and may not have implementation from the vendor, but usually not for as comprehensive a support infrastructure as larger licenses. proprietary ERP vendors. • You are not subject to vendor lock-in (thus ensuring a • FOSS vendors may not have the revenue to fund new certain safety if the vendor goes out of business or is software development and grow with your company. bought by another).

• There is usually no need for dedicated in-house • You cannot change the source code. software customization programmers. • Vendors cannot easily adopt innovations to the • The vendor is responsible for problems in the software. software from a community or competitors. • There is a large variety of stable, mature vendors with • It can be difficult to get proprietary vendors to histories of successful customer implementations. implement new features in the software. • Vendors have more a traditional and potentially • License fees present a higher up-front cost and may reliable revenue model for funding software incur greater fees down the road as you expand and development. need more licenses.

Proprietary Software • Once you select a vendor, you’re usually stuck with that vendor for the life of your product, even if you are unhappy with that vendor’s support offering. ERP for Small Businesses - A Buyer’s Guide Buyer’s A - Businesses Small for ERP

14 Old Technology versus New Technology As you may have noticed—especially if you have already searched for an ERP system—there are products on the market that have not evolved much since they were first launched in the 1980s. However, they can still be very efficient, especially for small businesses. On the other hand, new technologies are in increasing use for small and large businesses alike. Researching new technology often requires deeper exploration of system compatibility and integration with modern technologies. It is fair to say, however, that some old platform-based applications have also been heavily modernized and so can be used without concerns about whether or not they are obsolete.

Pros Cons

• Older software may be more robust than new systems. • The product may be discontinued by the vendor. • Many others have tested and used it before. • Old software may be difficult to modify or customize. • Such systems are usually significantly cheaper than • It is difficult to build interfaces between old systems new systems. and new systems. • You will not require sophisticated hardware or software.

Old Technology Old • There is a potentially large pool of experienced support personnel.

• Newer systems are more user-friendly (from an • Newer software is usually more expensive. interface perspective). • Such systems haven’t had the long history of testing • Newer software is often easier to install and maintain that older products have. than older software, and is generally easy to modify or • New software is not always compatible with all types customize. of hardware. • It is easy to integrate newer software with other • It may be difficult to integrate new systems with systems. legacy systems.

New Technology New • It is easier to use the software to communicate internally and with customers or partners (through Web services or similar technologies). ERP for Small Businesses - A Buyer’s Guide

15 Common Mistakes that Can Lead to Misfit ERP Selections Sadly, there are hundreds of ways to select an ERP system that is not a good fit for your business. Below are just some of the real-life selection errors—often committed by large companies as well as small businesses—that have led to shelfware:

• failing to consider all potential users when determining needs for the new system • shortcutting the selection process in an (ultimately doomed) attempt to save time or money • failing to consider the requirements of partners such as suppliers or transporters • relying exclusively on vendor demos and promotional materials • basing the final decision exclusively on pricing or special discounts • trying to find a system that does what the old one did • planning to start implementation during high-activity periods (shipping season, year end, etc.) • changing the selection team partway through the process • expecting the ERP vendor to understand your business and industry practices as well as you do • neglecting to allocate sufficient time and resources for user training • neglecting the importance of change management • failing to ask for and check references • delaying the selection project by focusing on too many low-level requirements

Indeed, there are many questions you need to ask before determining which ERP system will best match your needs. To give you an idea of the ramifications of these questions, here is a sampling:

1. Which system will be easiest and cheapest to implement and maintain? Sometimes implementation and support costs can be much higher than the price of the software itself. You should calculate the cost for at least the next 5 to 10 years and determine which ERP software has the lowest overall cost (licensing plus implementation plus service) (also called total cost of ownership [TCO]). Do bear in mind, however, that cheaper is not always better (conversely, a more expensive ERP system is not necessarily more fully featured).

2. How easily can the software adapt to changing business processes? The growth of your business will lead to changes in your business processes, and the system you choose should be able to change accordingly. This can be accomplished through modifications of the source code for open source ERP, through upgrades and patches provided by your vendor, or via integration to other business software.

3. What is more important for users: an intuitive user interface, or strong functionality? Ideally, an ERP system should present both an intuitive interface and robust functionality, but this is infrequently the case. Depending on your business processes and needs, it may be more efficient to trade off user-friendliness for a robust and proven ERP system. ERP for Small Businesses - A Buyer’s Guide Buyer’s A - Businesses Small for ERP

16 4. How easily can we transition from the past and to the future? Legacy data can be very important, so an ERP system should give you the option of easily importing and using it. The ERP system you select should also allow you to easily add new functionality as you need it. For instance, you may not currently require electronic data interchange (EDI), but if you need it in five years, the ideal system should allow you to turn it on, set it up, and start using it rapidly.

To help you avoid some of the perils of ERP selection, we provide an overview of ERP selection resources for small businesses below, followed by a listing of ERP software vendors that provide systems for small businesses.

ERP Selection Resources for Small Businesses Consultation with analyst firms will help you get more insight and guidance on the selection process and the software marketplace. With a little searching, you’ll also discover a variety of Web directories listing software vendors and products (for example, TEC’s Vendor Showcase). These directories are useful for finding different products for comparison. Not all directories offer the same level of detail for comparison, however. Some will provide a high-level summary of the product’s functionality only, while others will allow you to drill down to very detailed functionality. Additionally, not all vendor directories have information on all the vendors that might be a good match for your needs, and it’s a good idea not to rely on one source only.

There are other online sources of information that can be used to have an idea what software can do (or not do). On user forums, you can find a lot of useful information, but you may need to search extensively to find it. You can also consultindustry reports and white papers, which are sometimes offered free, but you’ll generally have to pay for them. Finally, blogs and personal Web sites of industry experts can provide valuable information that can be used in the software selection process.

ERP for Small Businesses: A Vendor Listing The vendors in this listing target their products at small businesses looking for an ERP system. The ratings we provide are based on vendor claims regarding the level of support for functionality described below.

Given the large number of complex variables that go into selecting an ERP system, TEC does not recommend that you base an ERP selection decision on this listing alone.

The ratings in this listing focus only on the criteria related to functionality that we consider to be the most important for small ERP for Small Businesses - A Buyer’s Guide businesses:

• inventory • manufacturing • sales • purchasing • financials • payroll

17 We use the following rating system:

PARTIAL: the system supports between 1 and 75 percent of the criteria in TEC’s RFI FULL: the system supports 76 to 100 percent of the criteria.

The Industry column displays only the industries that a given vendor supports extensively. As for the Geography column, the regions displayed are areas where the vendor offers any level of coverage and support (from partial to full). To contact these vendors, as well as other vendors that offer ERP software, please consult the vendor directory at the end of this Buyer Guide. TEC regularly updates ratings on products in its online Evaluation centers. To find the latest details on the vendors’ claims of functionality, login to http://www.technologyevaluation.com/register.aspx.

Product Company Description Industry Geography Inventory Manufacturing Sales Purchasing Financials Payroll

abas Business Established in 1980, ABAS is a Automotive Asia Software by leading provider of evolutionary and Construction Australasia ABAS Software versatile ERP solutions for midsize Distribution Europe manufacturers and distributors. Electronics Middle East More than 2,300 customers have chosen ABAS as their long-term Furniture South America ERP provider, and work successfully Engineering North America with the internationally applicable Manufacturing abas Business Software (ERP, PPC, Metals

MRP, eBusiness). ABAS is uniquely FULL FULL FULL FULL FULL

Packaging PARTIAL qualified to successfully implement Services international projects and has the combination of a unified partner network, strategic orientation, globally enabled software, and international implementation methodology that defines the roadmap to success.

Aplicor by Located in Boca Raton, Florida (US), Chemicals Asia Aplicor Inc. Aplicor Inc. is a global publisher Construction Australasia of integrated sales, marketing, CPG Europe and customer service Web-based Electronics Middle East software. Established in 1999, the Engineering South America vendor offers enterprise-level FULL FULL FULL FULL FULL applications online and on demand. Forestry North America PARTIAL Machinery ERP for Small Businesses - A Buyer’s Guide Buyer’s A - Businesses Small for ERP Retail Textiles/Apparel 18 Product Company Description Industry Geography Inventory Manufacturing Sales Purchasing Financials Payroll

Compiere ERP/ Compiere is the world’s leading Distribution Africa CRM (3.5) by provider of open source and cloud- Manufacturing Asia Compiere based ERP business solutions. Non-profit Australasia Powered by a revolutionary model- Pharmaceutical Europe based platform, the company offers comprehensive, modern, highly Retail Middle East FULL FULL FULL FULL FULL

adaptable and low-cost ERP solutions. South America PARTIAL Professional and support services are North America provided by the company and global network of partners operating in more than 40 countries.

Encompix (9.4) Consona Corporation is a business Automotive Australasia by Consona software and service provider Electronics Europe dedicated to becoming your Engineering Middle East valued business partner by helping Furniture North America your company continuously improve business processes over Machinery time. Backed by an experienced

management team and deep FULL FULL FULL FULL financial resources, Consona melds PARTIAL PARTIAL an aggressive acquisition program, strong balance sheet, solid customer relationships, and high-fit solutions into a value proposition that is unmatched by other vendors.

Corefino Headquartered in Sunnyvale, Health Australasia Accounting by California (US), Corefino is a privately

Energy Europe ERP for Small Businesses - A Buyer’s Guide Corefino held company delivering outsourced Electronics North America online accounting and finance Non-profit solutions. Its product combines

financial expersise and best financial FULL practices with the latest technology PARTIAL PARTIAL PARTIAL PARTIAL PARTIAL to offer affordable outsourced Internet accounting and finance systems.

19 Product Company Description Industry Geography Inventory Manufacturing Sales Purchasing Financials Payroll

COSS Systems COSS Systems offers a range of Aerospace Africa (5.8) by COSS manufacturing software for small Automotive Australasia Systems Inc. to midsized companies. It provides Electronics Middle East software that helps companies Furniture North America improve their data flow, thus increasing profitability, optimizing Machinery PARTIAL PARTIAL PARTIAL PARTIAL PARTIAL PARTIAL resource usage, and lowering the cost Metals of growth. Transportation

Cougar Cougar Mountain provides software Chemicals North America Mountain applications for midsized businesses Electronics Accounting and non-profit organizations in need Engineering (9.0) by Cougar of accounting software, fund software, Food and Mountain or point-of-sale (POS) software and Software hardware across a broad range of Beverage industries requiring customizable Furniture PARTIAL PARTIAL PARTIAL PARTIAL PARTIAL PARTIAL solutions. Machinery Medical Devices Retail

Infor ERP Infor is headquartered in Alpharetta, Automotive Asia Visual (6.5.2) Georgia (US), and has 116 offices Electronics Australasia by Infor worldwide. With its graphical nature, Furniture Europe the Infor ERP VISUAL suite of products Steel Middle East FULL FULL FULL FULL FULL FULL helps companies capture real-time data about their business processes. Transportation South America Distribution North America

Intacct Intacct is the market leader in cloud Business Services North America Accounting computing financial management and Consulting and Financial and accounting applications for Computers, IT, Management businesses and CPA firms, and the and Software Software by preferred provider of financial Intacct Corp. applications for AICPA business Education solutions. Intacct applications are Finance and used by thousands of businesses, Banking from startups to public companies, Health Care and are designed to improve Non-profit FULL company performance and make PARTIAL PARTIAL PARTIAL PARTIAL PARTIAL Recreational, finance more productive. The Intacct system includes accounting, contract Cultural, and ERP for Small Businesses - A Buyer’s Guide Buyer’s A - Businesses Small for ERP management, revenue recognition, Sporting Activities inventory, purchasing, vendor 20 management, financial consolidation, and financial reporting applications, all delivered over the Internet via software as a service (SaaS). Product Company Description Industry Geography Inventory Manufacturing Sales Purchasing Financials Payroll

Microsoft Microsoft Dynamics is a line of Non-profit Africa Dynamics integrated, adaptable business Furniture Australasia GP (9.0) by management solutions that enable Machinery Europe Microsoft companies and their people to make Retail Middle East business decisions with greater confidence. Microsoft Dynamics offers Steel South America a range of business applications Distribution North America designed to help midsized businesses Contractors

become more connected with FULL FULL FULL FULL FULL FULL customers, employees, partners, and suppliers by automating and streamlining financial, customer relationship, and supply chain processes. Microsoft was established in 1975 and is headquartered in Redmond, Washington (US).

Microsoft Microsoft Dynamics is a line of Construction Africa Dynamics integrated, adaptable business Furniture Asia NAV (5.0) by management solutions that enable Distribution Australasia Microsoft companies and their people to make Food and Europe business decisions with greater confidence. Microsoft Dynamics offers Beverage Middle East a range of business applications CPG South America designed to help midsized businesses North America

become more connected with FULL FULL FULL FULL PARTIAL PARTIAL customers, employees, partners, and suppliers by automating and streamlining financial, customer relationship, and supply chain ERP for Small Businesses - A Buyer’s Guide processes. Microsoft was established in 1975 and is headquartered in Redmond, Washington (US).

21 Product Company Description Industry Geography Inventory Manufacturing Sales Purchasing Financials Payroll

NetSuite 2009 NetSuite helps growing and midsize Computers, IT, Africa by NetSuite companies manage business and Software Asia operations in a single, Web-based, Electronics Australasia integrated system which includes: Service Providers Europe finance, customer relationship Distribution Middle East management (CRM), inventory FULL FULL FULL FULL management, order management Retail South America PARTIAL PARTIAL and fulfillment, and e-commerce. Non-profit North America NetSuite is delivered as an on- Publishing demand service.

Openbravo Openbravo, headquartered in Spain, Non-profit Africa ERP (2.40) by develops open source enterprise Retail Asia Openbravo management systems. The company Textiles/Apparel Australasia sells to its clients through its partner Distribution Europe network. Its programs encompass Service Providers Middle East a suite of services and professional FULL tools that allow partners to build South America PARTIAL PARTIAL PARTIAL PARTIAL PARTIAL business based on Openbravo and North America to offer professional services and implementations to users.

TRAVERSE Open Systems was founded in 1976 Automotive Asia (10.2) by Open on the premise of delivering powerful CPG Australasia Systems, Inc. accounting software solutions to Food and Europe small and mid-market customers. Beverage South America Throughout its more than 25 years, Open Systems has partnered with Distribution North America thousands of independent resellers, Office Equipment consultants, and developers in order PARTIAL PARTIAL PARTIAL PARTIAL PARTIAL PARTIAL to deliver accounting software solutions to over 250,000 small, growing, and mid-market software users. ERP for Small Businesses - A Buyer’s Guide Buyer’s A - Businesses Small for ERP

22 Product Company Description Industry Geography Inventory Manufacturing Sales Purchasing Financials Payroll

Pronto-Xi Pronto Software is an international Automotive Africa Enterprise enterprise resource planning (ERP) Chemical Asia Management software company with over 30 Construction Australasia System (rel. years of experience. The company’s CPG Europe 670) by Pronto integrated business solutions are Software designed to help its customers Electronics Middle East FULL FULL FULL FULL FULL

manage their growing enterprises Engineering South America PARTIAL and support their goals of maximizing Medical Devices North America productivity, streamlining supply Retail chains, and delivering high-quality customer service.

Ramco ERP Ramco Systems provides ERP II Aerospace Asia Enterprise Solutions and custom-built offshore Finance and Australasia Series and applications services across a wide Banking Europe Ramco range of industry segments. Ramco Chemicals Middle East onDemand products and solutions are based on ERP by Ramco the business process platform Virtual CPG South America Systems Works to provide companies with Engineering North America

the flexibility they need to respond Food and FULL FULL FULL PARTIAL PARTIAL PARTIAL to evolving market conditions and Beverage needs. Machinery Medical Devices Textiles/Apparel Distribution

Sage MAS 90 From small start-ups to larger Accounting South America ERP (4.1) by organizations, Sage software Contractors North America ERP for Small Businesses - A Buyer’s Guide Sage solutions help companies manage CPG their business processes. Formed in Electronics 1981, the company was floated on the FULL FULL FULL Food and FULL London Stock Exchange in 1989, and PARTIAL PARTIAL now employs more than 5,000 people Beverage in North America and 14,800 people Transportation worldwide.

23 Product Company Description Industry Geography Inventory Manufacturing Sales Purchasing Financials Payroll

Sage Accpac From small start-ups to larger Accounting Africa Extended organizations, Sage software CPG Asia Enterprise solutions help companies manage Electronics Australasia Suite (5.5) by their business processes. Formed in Financial Europe Sage 1981, the company was floated on the Higher Education Middle East FULL FULL FULL FULL London Stock Exchange in 1989, and PARTIAL PARTIAL now employs more than 5,000 people Distribution South America in North America and 14,800 people North America worldwide.

SAP Business Founded in 1972, SAP provides Business Services Asia byDesign business software applications Electronics Europe (FP2.0) by SAP and services to companies of all Machinery North America sizes in more than 25 industries. Retail The company is listed on several Distribution exchanges, including the Frankfurt FULL FULL FULL stock exchange and the New York Metals PARTIAL PARTIAL PARTIAL Stock Exchange (NYSE) under the symbol SAP. SAP employs over 48,500 people in more than 50 countries.

opentaps Open Source Strategies, Inc. is a Electronics Asia Open Source strategic and technology consulting Medical Devices Europe ERP (ver. 0.8) firm specializing in open source Chemicals South America by Open Source software, such as ERP and CRM. Open Food and North America Strategies Source Strategies is one of the core Beverage developers of Open For Business FULL FULL FULL and is the principal sponsor of Textile/Apparel PARTIAL PARTIAL PARTIAL opentaps Open Source ERP and CRM. Retail The company is headquartered in Non-profit California (US). ERP for Small Businesses - A Buyer’s Guide Buyer’s A - Businesses Small for ERP

24 Product Company Description Industry Geography Inventory Manufacturing Sales Purchasing Financials Payroll

SYSPRO (6.09) The SYSPRO solution set includes Automotive Africa by SYSPRO more than 40 modules that target Chemicals Asia 11 functional ERP categories: CPG Australasia financials, distribution, manufacturing, Electronics Europe business analytics, reporting, CRM, Food and South America

factory scheduling, compliance, FULL FULL FULL FULL FULL e-commerce, lean initiatives, and Beverage North America PARTIAL the SYSPRO “Power Tailoring Bundle.” Machinery Distribution Pharmaceutical

xTuple ERP xTuple provides free, and Construction Africa (ver. 1.3) by commercially licensed, open Electronics Asia xTuple source ERP software. Its customers Engineering Australasia range from small businesses to Chemicals Europe large enterprises in a variety of Food and Middle East industries, including food production, FULL FULL FULL manufacturing of pistons, industrial Beverage South America PARTIAL PARTIAL PARTIAL pumps, and specialty garments, and Textile/Apparel North America others. xTuple is headquartered in Retail Norfolk, Virginia (US).

In the following sections of this Buyer Guide, TEC is pleased to present a number of case studies that tackle some pressing issues and business pains.

First, we tackle the SaaS model, with some thoughts by a vendor moving into the SaaS space with a vengeance, followed by some ERP for Small Businesses - A Buyer’s Guide examples of how SaaS is working — and indeed, thriving — in the real world.

We follow up with a section devoted to the concerns facing small manufacturers and distributors today. Yes, ERP can help — and the case studies in this section will show you how. But first, some thoughts by a tier-one vendor on how manufacturers and distributors (often the first to feel the pinch in a recession), as well as other small businesses, can weather the storms of uncertain economic times.

We conclude this guide with a an issue that’s critical to small businesses everywhere. Small businesses being typically more financially exposed to economic uncertainty than large businesses, they need to be sure they have a solid handle on their financial management processes. We provide a collection of case studies explaining how four small businesses have tackled this problem.

25 Spotlight on SaaS ERP for Small Businesses - A Buyer’s Guide Buyer’s A - Businesses Small for ERP

26 Thought Leadership

How Small and Midsize Businesses Reap Benefits by Using Software as a Service

In these volatile economic times, customers are looking So, many may wonder when is the right time to focus for the greatest value for their money. As a result, they are the time and resources into IT to make those operational routinely demanding lower prices, new product features, improvements that can directly or indirectly impact profit. expanded services, and faster deliveries. The harsh reality is They ask themselves: When will the cost of change be worth that they can easily turn to competitors who offer cutthroat it? Are there signs that signal when the time is right? When deals—and not look back. is there potential for greater return on investment (ROI) in operational systems? What are the business conditions that By their nature, small-to-midsize companies need to be should trigger such a change? flexible and nimble and be able to anticipate and adapt to unpredictable economic shocks and market shifts whether The answer is that the best time to determine when to make around the corner or around the globe. If a small-to-midsize changes in IT is when business conditions dictate. It may business cannot respond quickly to changing market be when establishing a new location, sales channel, supply dynamics, they risk losing business and their very survival is chain, or business model; when serving new markets; when at stake. faced with sudden sustainable growth, more aggressive competition, more disciplined governance or financial Faced with these decisions to invest in the improving reporting, or more stringent performance goals; when business operations, and to better meet the challenges of preparing for a recession; or when responding to increasingly growth, competition, and regulatory compliance, business higher expectations from customers. owners often put finding a better way to do it on the back burner because they are faced with day-to-day problems. Any of these conditions may be compelling alone, but more

These small-to-midsize business leaders know that the key to than one would be a strong argument for closer examination ERP for Small Businesses - A Buyer’s Guide successfully managing their businesses is managing growth of the long-term usefulness of the current IT solution. If the in a cost-effective way. legacy IT solution lacks functionality and adaptability to dynamic market conditions, the time is right to consider a change to improve business operations and boost financial performance.

But how to do it?

27 A new approach emerges

Two approaches are familiar: purchasing a software package SaaS is typically purchased on a “per-user, per-month” basis from a vendor or market partner and engaging a systems with no large initial outlay of capital to license the software. integrator to select and install software and integrate it with Year-long and even multi-year discounted commitments are other software in the data center. Both involve purchasing often negotiated, which significantly eases the burden for software, paying annual maintenance, implementing and small-to-midsize companies. With SaaS, one does not pay integrating it or having it implemented or integrated, and for shelfware as one would with vendor software, but for the then running and maintaining it or finding a vendor to seats of users who actually need to use the software in their manage those tasks. normal business day.

But a third approach has emerged and has become a The most significant benefit of SaaS is that it is a completely market phenomenon: software as a service (SaaS). Widely scalable business resource that does not require large touted, SaaS allows businesses to acquire, use, and pay for capital expenses at any time. For example, if the needs of business functionality. Its best-known characteristics are its the business should expand significantly, it is simple enough relative speed to implementation and low up-front costs for to add licensed seats without any worry about purchasing acquisition and deployment. As a result, it has been widely additional computer hardware, software, or networking—or adopted for a variety of business and IT functions. hiring the additional trained IT technical staff to manage it. ERP for Small Businesses - A Buyer’s Guide Buyer’s A - Businesses Small for ERP

28 The advantages of software as a service

Of course, before making any decision, the advantages of • Increased Adaptation—It has become increasingly easy SaaS must be considered in terms of financial value, new to adapt SaaS solutions to fit the needs of small-to-midsize technology, and improved operations. businesses. Often SaaS solutions target users with easy-to-use configuration capabilities that allow non-programmers to • Increased Time to Value—SaaS is quickly installed and easily modify their look-and-feel or their business processes. more quickly made part of the work process when compared For many small-to-midsize businesses, configuration may be with on-premise software. Often, it is possible to self- a more appropriate approach, due to its simplicity and lower provision a trial use, or “try before you buy” a SaaS solution to cost (no programmer required). get a feel for how it looks, feels, and operates. Typically, once licensed, a SaaS purchaser is up and running in a matter of • Reduced Technical Resources—Possibly one of the least- days or weeks, rather than months, as is more frequently the anticipated SaaS benefits is that it requires significantly case with traditional vendor software. As a consequence, the fewer technical resources to manage than on-premise SaaS purchaser can begin to realize the business benefits software, reducing the strain on IT organizations. For the earlier. The payback period is much quicker, and the ROI is small-to midsize business this is an enormous advantage. At significantly better than with vendor software. the same time, by using the expertise of the SaaS provider, which has state-of-the-art data centers and technology at its • Lowered Cost—SaaS does not require large up-front disposal, the small-to-midsize business can take advantage investment, and especially in a recession presents less of a of the latest in leading-edge technologies and collaboration financial hurdle when compared with on-premise software. capabilities that might otherwise be beyond its reach. In this Small-to-midsize businesses with limited capital budgets way, the small-to-midsize business can obtain access to next-

and limited IT support will find SaaS is far more suitable to generation technology without having to manage it. ERP for Small Businesses - A Buyer’s Guide their needs than vendor software. • Focus—Without the distraction of managing the IT • Continued Innovation—Instead of twice-a-year upgrades, function—hardware, software, networks, and technicians— SaaS solutions can be enhanced on a regular and almost the small-to-midsize company will be freed up to focus on continuous basis. Major releases may also appear annually, its core competencies, its core value-add. SaaS is a way of consolidating all of the enhancements along the way. SaaS outsourcing the onerous aspects of the essential IT systems users do not have to wonder whether a new release or the small-to-midsize company needs to run its business upgrade will break their system or cause a significant delay and manage the challenges of growth, regulation, and in parallel testing prior to switching over into full production. competition. The SaaS provider assumes this responsibility behind the scenes and without intrusiveness. 29 Making the right decision

However, SaaS may not be the answer for every small-to- In the current volatile economic environment in which fast- midsize business. There are several situations that might moving businesses face greater challenges than ever before dictate the choice of a traditional software vendor license. and staying in business depends on their ability to turn a profit, scale, and adapt quickly and nimbly while, atthe For example, if regulations require the data the company same time, building sustainable growth, SaaS is increasingly manages to remain behind the company’s firewall, and the an answer for such small-to-midsize companies. Their very SaaS provider cannot make that happen, the owner should survival could depend on it. definitely rebuild IT capability to improve operations.

Conversely, SaaS should be considered if the company has a limited capital budget, limited IT support, and a distributed workforce in a sales- or service-oriented business because SaaS enables the small-to-midsize company to manage growth, regulatory compliance, and competition without also dealing with a variety of challenges relating to IT. ERP for Small Businesses - A Buyer’s Guide Buyer’s A - Businesses Small for ERP

30 Case Study

TAM CERAMICS SAP® SOLUTION PERFECT FIT FOR POST-ACQUISITION CERAMICS SPECIALIST

Recently acquired, TAM Ceramics needs to ramp up quickly Why SAP Business ByDesign? with a new IT solution. The firm wanted a solution that • No IT support and administration necessary was both affordable and able to handle the business’s • History as a previous SAP® software user, prior to complexities. As a pre-acquisition user of SAP software, the acquisition company is implementing the SAP® Business ByDesign™ • Avoidance of high transitional service fees solution. Benefits from SAP Business ByDesign QUICK FACTS Key Innovations Company • Fast ROI due to rapid solution deployment • Name: TAM Ceramics Inc. • Simplified IT landscape • Business context: Recently acquired industrial ceramics • Enablement of growth with solution specialist needing fast IT ramp-up • Improved decision making due to embedded analytics • Location: Niagara Falls, New York • Built-in learning to lower training costs • Industry: Chemicals—Industrial ceramics • Products and services: Specialized ceramic powders for Deployment Highlight industry Planned go-live with processes for customer and supplier • Revenue: $20 million (USD) relationship management, financials, supply chain • Employees: 60 management, human resources, and production (internal cost collectors) Challenges and Opportunities

• Find ideal post-acquisition IT solution to satisfy both ERP for Small Businesses - A Buyer’s Guide current and future business needs SAP Business ByDesign is the perfect • Satisfy need for affordable solution and ability to handle “ complement to our company. The remote business complexities access system that is hosted and managed by SAP was the resource answer to our small- Objectives company business needs and is capable of • Implement end-to-end IT solution in less than 15 weeks supporting our business dynamics as we grow.”

• Find solution requiring no IT support and maintenance George Bilkey, President, (company lost IT support staff during spin-off) TAM Ceramics “

31 TAM Ceramics overview

As a manufacturer of industrial ceramic grains and powders Helping drive the company’s success is the power and for a variety of markets, including refractory, investment flexibility of SAP Business ByDesign. According to Bilkey, TAM casting, electronic materials, and others, New York-based executives and managers at all levels quickly began using TAM Ceramics needed a reliable enterprise resource the SAP solution to aid decision-making, improve invoicing planning (ERP) solution to support critical finance, supply and collections, and streamline ordering materials and chain, and other everyday operations. In late 2007, TAM was manufacturing activities. “It requires minimal effort to deploy spun off from a larger company, but still had to rely on the and begin using SAP Business ByDesign—and the returns parent company’s systems and servers. Unfortunately, the are terrific,” says Bilkey. “The reliability of the solution and the arrangement was costly for TAM and ill-suited to supporting support offered by SAP have been excellent. SAP also has a the company’s short and longer-term business goals. great understanding of what we need to run our business, from standard costing in the supply chain module to the With a commitment to staying focused on its core business— accelerated insights we gain through the finance module.” manufacturing and marketing industrial ceramic grains and powders—and improving overall operations, TAM executives At TAM Ceramics, SAP Business ByDesign was implemented began looking for a solution that would enhance supply in less than 15 weeks, rapidly supporting the company’s chain processes and business decision-making, without business with little or no interruption to operations. Built-in requiring the implementation of resource-intensive, on learning in the solution helps keep training costs low and premise solutions. “SAP Business ByDesign is the perfect helps ensure faster adoption by TAM business managers. complement to our company,” says George Bilkey, president The simplified, scalable IT landscape enables TAM to operate of TAM Ceramics. “The remote access system that is hosted more efficiently, while still supporting opportunities for and managed by SAP was the resource answer to our small- growth. “Our partnership with SAP has been excellent,” says company business needs and is capable of supporting our Bilkey. “SAP is a trusted partner that lets us respond quickly to business dynamics as we grow.” address our complex, changing business requirements.”

Today, TAM Ceramics is positioned to become a quality leader in the market for ceramic grains and powders, enhancing services to existing customers and expanding to new markets. With its dedicated and highly skilled workforce, low overhead, and outstanding business process automation

ERP for Small Businesses - A Buyer’s Guide Buyer’s A - Businesses Small for ERP supported by the SAP Business By Design solution, TAM has the opportunity to reestablish itself as the volume leader in 32 the industry. Case Study

NetSuite

Distribution Video & Audio www.dva.com

The Results Distribution Video & Audio (DVA), a 20-year old wholesale dealer in closeout DVDs and other entertainment media, turned to NetSuite after a series of other enterprise and off-the-shelf software platforms proved too expensive and inefficient to run the business. DVA first heard about NetSuite in 1999, but tried other options instead, each of which failed to satisfy the company’s needs. Finally in 2007, DVA turned to NetSuite to manage its bicoastal business, providing instant operational clarity. “We didn’t want a software solution that would create resistance from the 40 employees who would be using it,” says Brad Kugler, CEO of DVA. “Our people like NetSuite. They welcomed the change.”

What’s more, with SuitePhone—NetSuite’s compatibility with the Apple iPhone—Kugler’s productivity while traveling has increased significantly.

NetSuite provided immediate benefits in the warehouse as well, where managing the inventory of two locations had been problematic in the past. “We weren’t able to do a company-wide physical inventory for six years, and NetSuite made it possible to finally do that — using its multi- location inventory,” says Kugler. Even now, any salesperson at DVA has a view of the current inventory for sale at any time instead of waiting a ERP for Small Businesses - A Buyer’s Guide week for a report, and they can use saved searches in NetSuite to find the We went from the most expensive piece latest products. “Features like that could pay for NetSuite alone,” he says. “ of software on the planet [SAP] down to nothing … But we knew that we had to DVA’s biggest payoff comes from finally being able to operate as an get on a single system, and that’s where integrated operation. NetSuite came in. Brad Kugler, CEO, “We are a two-location company, in Los Angeles and Tampa, and there Distribution“ Video & Audio was a lot of confusion over purchase orders and inventory, creating too much cross-traffic and forcing us to have a person who did nothing but enter data in a spreadsheet,” Kugler says. “NetSuite has eliminated all of those problems.” 33 The challenges

When it comes to enterprise software platforms, DVA has When the company started growing again, DVA’s accounting seen and done it all. “We went from the most expensive piece department had a difficult time keeping up. “So here of software on the planet down to nothing.” The company we were, a $20 million company with basically manual was an SAP R/3 customer during its dot-com expansion days, operations using three or four systems and Excel to manage from about 1999 to 2001, but had to drop the platform when our business—with none of it integrated,” Kugler says. “Our maintenance fees became unmanageable. accountant was on our case and we knew we had to sort it out.” “We felt like we got SAP R/3 for a good price, but the implementation for our fifteen users at the time was a whole DVA had worked to implement Great Plains starting in 2003, other story,” says Kugler. He explains how it cost about but $60,000 later, the system was never fully implemented $200,000 for two years, and there was still a huge learning and the company was at a crossroads. “Our staff was in curve for DVA’s users. “SAP was not a product you could confusion. It was like SAP all over again. With Great Plains and customize yourself. It was complicated and rigid. It became SAP before it, we were always writing custom code, which can an unbelievable monster. And then we got the bill for the go on forever. We were looking at another $30,000 to $40,000 year-two license fees. I said ‘QuickBooks—here we come.’” just to get Great Plains up and running, and there were no guarantees,” he says. In addition, Kugler estimates DVA’s cost For the next few years DVA got by on QuickBooks, Excel would have tripled when factoring in a new CRM package spreadsheets, and Mail Order Manager for e-commerce and e-commerce system to accompany Great Plains. but the various systems, with a limited number of licenses, didn’t solve the problem either. “This was the period when “We knew that we had to get on a single system, and that’s we would hear employees calling out ‘I need someone to log where NetSuite finally came into the picture.” out so I can log in.’ We were paying less than we had before on software, but we were definitely paying for it in loss of productivity.” ERP for Small Businesses - A Buyer’s Guide Buyer’s A - Businesses Small for ERP

34 The solution

“We had looked at NetSuite as early as 1999, and were aware Kugler says DVA does a lot of over-the-phone transactions the product had improved exponentially since then. This where they obtain credit card approval at the time of the time around it was a choice between NetSuite and custom order, but only charge the card right before it ships. “This was development,” Kugler says. “Custom development can be a big issue for Great Plains and needed custom code, but great, but what happens when the guy is not around to fix it? in NetSuite, we just used the checkbox for ‘bill before you You can have the greatest software in the world, but none of fulfill,’” Kugler says. that matters if your employees can’t use it.” Another thing that put NetSuite over the top, says Kugler, NetSuite’s flexible business process management was an was the ability to completely access NetSuite from his excellent fit for DVA with minimal configuration. Kugler iPhone. Kugler, who travels extensively, often leaves his estimated the cost of buying and implementing NetSuite laptop behind. “Before a meeting I’ll use my iPhone to pull about one-third what it would have been for Great Plains + up the history of that customer. And when I go to bed I often CRM + e-commerce. “And that doesn’t include the third-party keep my charger close by, so I can wake up in the morning software required to tie it all together.” and know immediately how the Web leads and sales went overnight.” “The implementation of NetSuite with our business processes went very well—our employees caught on very quickly— Yet one more benefit of NetSuite is its ability, along with and the changes we needed to make in NetSuite were Onsite POS, to be transformed into a point of sale system for simple things we could do ourselves just by going into the the two days of the year when DVA opens its doors to the suite’s configuration screens,” Kugler says. “We’re now using public and its forty employees change hats and turn their

NetSuite for just about everything—from our inventory and desktop computers into cash registers. Starting at 5 a.m. ERP for Small Businesses - A Buyer’s Guide e-commerce to our sales and e-mail marketing campaigns. on those two days, DVA employees welcome over 2,000 The dashboards let me know at a moment’s notice about consumers eager to get their hands on the latest box office everything from our bank balances to the profitability on hits that fill pallets and pallets and in their warehouse. “It’s our each salesperson. And it can all be customized easily.” cutting-edge business software NetSuite that makes those two wonderful but hectic days possible,” says Kugler.

35 At a Glance

• Company: Distribution Video & Audio is the country’s largest wholesaler of entertainment closeouts

• Location: Palm Harbor, FL and Los Angeles, CA, USA

• Industry: Wholesale/Distribution; Entertainment

• Challenges: • Unsuccessful attempt to run back-end on SAP due to complexity and spiraling costs • Great Plains was too expensive an alternative, and was missing functionality • QuickBooks + Excel + Mail Order Manager were not integrated, hurting employee productivity • Multi-location business had poor inventory visibility between warehouses • No easy way for executives to access key information I was shocked that I could pull up my when traveling “ complete NetSuite dashboard on my iPhone, as if it were on my laptop. • Results with NetSuite: • Saving over $120,000 on license fees and customization Brad Kugler, CEO, Distribution Video & Audio“ costs required for other solutions • Financials, CRM, inventory management and e-commerce all in one system • Instant improvement in real-time inventory levels across the company • Dashboards providing better insight into sales processes • NetSuite’s accessibility from Apple iPhone handheld boosts morale and increasing productivity

Find out more: contact NetSuite, Inc. at +1 877-NETSUITE

ERP for Small Businesses - A Buyer’s Guide Buyer’s A - Businesses Small for ERP or visit www.netsuite.com

36 Case Study

NetSuite

Cartridge World www.cartridgeworld.com

The Results Cartridge World, the $425 million leader in printer cartridge refilling and NETSUITE IMPACT recycling and the fastest growing franchise in the $80 billion printer cartridge • Saved about $200,000 in annual IT and industry, has successfully integrated NetSuite into its operations to oversee administrative costs hundreds of its 1,650 worldwide franchise locations and manage a rapidly • B2B e-commerce capabilities supported a growing business. 200% increase in sales across 1,650 stores worldwide After almost 20 years in the business, Cartridge World began growing at an even • Helped grow sales to $425 million in 2007 faster pace in the early 2000s, and consequently chose NetSuite for its integrated CRM, ERP, and e-commerce. The business-to-business (B2B) e-commerce capabilities of NetSuite enable the company’s network of more than 700 North American franchise stores to quickly purchase products from Cartridge World via a NetSuite Web store. “NetSuite has become our conduit to our franchisees,” says Steven L. Yeffa, President, Cartridge World Americas. Cartridge World’s NetSuite allows us to think, act, and work corporate headquarters uses NetSuite extensively to market and communicate “ as a single company worldwide. with the widespread franchisees as well as to track support issues they have— Steven L. Yeffa, President, their questions on everything from invoices to how to refill cartridges. “ Cartridge World Americas

“The first thing I noticed was the global visibility—NetSuite is certainly enabling the senior management team to have a consistent view of everything going on in our worldwide network,” says Yeffa. “It allows us to think, act, and work as a ERP for Small Businesses - A Buyer’s Guide single company worldwide.” In the process, the company has cut an estimated $200,000 in annual IT and administrative costs as part of its requirements to run an accurate, sustainable business. And NetSuite has supported Cartridge World’s 200 percent collective increase in sales to over 500 storefronts in the United States and more than 1,650 worldwide in 63 countries. Much of that is thanks to NetSuite’s B2B e-commerce capabilities.

“The most important thing is that NetSuite has made it more seamless for the franchisee to come on board, all without a significant amount of customization on NetSuite,” Yeffa says. “That allows us to provide better information and more customer service than anyone else in our industry. We offer a complete package and NetSuite is our backbone to offering that package.” 37 The challenges

Cartridge World refills empty ink cartridges and Cartridge World deployed its initial inventory system to remanufactures empty toner cartridges for inkjet printers, avert keyboard-heavy processes in order fulfillment, which laser printers, fax machines, and photocopiers with top- were a constant source of annoyance and costly errors. quality, brand-specific ink and toners. The company has But the company came to understand that it had other more than 500 locations in the United States, with another problems that could not be solved with in-house, on-premise 300 locations expected soon. Before NetSuite, Cartridge technology, such as the need for business continuity across World used QuickBooks for accounting, and managed sales the widely dispersed organization. “Being global, we have to to franchise locations through a non-integrated third-party operate twenty-four hours a day and keep communicating product. This, coupled with a non-integrated Web store and information as different roles grow and encompass more manual processes in fulfillment, created the potential for tasks,” Yeffa says. costly data entry errors. Most departments used internal and external databases with no clear links between them. The situation was unsustainable for a fast-growing global company trying to stay ahead of business challenges. ERP for Small Businesses - A Buyer’s Guide Buyer’s A - Businesses Small for ERP

38 The solution

Cartridge World integrated NetSuite into its worldwide NetSuite has given the organization a chance to stay on top operations to oversee the hundreds of franchise locations of its rapidly growing business opportunities, and has helped and provide real-time information and key metrics for the Cartridge World avoid major up-front capital commitments global organization. Initially, Cartridge World implemented or expensive re-engineering fees every time a new region or NetSuite primarily as an inventory control tool, without store comes online. To that end, Cartridge World has rolled leveraging its integrated accounting and customer tracking up its disparate databases into the internal NetSuite B2B capabilities. “We had experience with NetSuite in the past, so e-commerce system and now operates replenishment for although personally I wasn’t involved in the decision to bring franchise locations through the integrated Web store. The NetSuite into Cartridge World, I understood the power of the Australian operations have converted to NetSuite for region tools within the program and collectively we decided to re- control, with Europe slated to go live on NetSuite as well. launch NetSuite internally,” Yeffa says. “We wanted to expand the reach of NetSuite into the full workflow process to all of Among its future initiatives, Cartridge World is looking the operations of our business, not just financial records and to fully integrate its in-store point of sale systems with inventory.” NetSuite, reducing the need for franchisees to place manual replenishment orders. ERP for Small Businesses - A Buyer’s Guide

39 At a Glance

Company The world’s fastest-growing ink refilling retailer in the $80 billion printer cartridge industry. The company refills empty ink cartridges and remanufactures empty toner cartridges.

Location Emeryville, CA

Industry Wholesale/distribution; franchise; computer hardware; retail

Challenges • Manual fulfillment processes and a non-integrated Web store caused the potential for costly data entry errors • Increased brand status created strains on visibility and coordination • Need to oversee hundreds of franchise locations worldwide • Large international presence posed expensive demands on The most important thing is that NetSuite has made disaster recovery and business continuity “ it more seamless for the franchisee to come on board. That allows us to provide better information

Software switched from and more customer service than anyone else in our QuickBooks; external Web store industry. Steven L. Yeffa, President, “ Cartridge World Americas Results with NetSuite • NetSuite provides real-time information and key metrics throughout a global organization • Franchisees can quickly purchase products via an online Web store • Cartridge World can effectively market to and communicate Spotlight on Manufacturing with franchisees, and track support issues • New regions and stores can come online easily without major capital commitments or expensive reengineering fees and Distribution ERP for Small Businesses - A Buyer’s Guide Buyer’s A - Businesses Small for ERP

40 Spotlight on Manufacturing and Distribution Thought Leadership

Sage ERP Solutions Forget “Business as Usual”: Thriving in the Post-downturn’s “New Normal”

Don’t just weather the downturn—actively prepare for a post-crisis world

The economy is slowly recovering. So, will everything just go back to “business as usual”? You’ve managed to stay afloat through one of toughest economies ever. Now signs are pointing toward a recovery. But will everything just go back to the way it was before the recession? Not likely. The post-downturn economy will redefine how businesses operate and compete.

Welcome to the “new normal” The current downturn is not simply part of a regular business cycle; it’s part of a “new normal.” Recovery will happen–albeit slowly–but business has fundamentally changed.

Customers have adjusted their attitudes and shifted their expectations–and these changes are becoming entrenched. Doing more with less–cost-cutting, downsizing, improving efficiencies–is here to stay. The competitive landscape has also dramatically shifted. The recession caused a competitive shakeout, and only the strongest have survived. Your competition is leaner, hungrier, and wiser than before.

But uncertain times can be an ideal time for bold companies smart enough to take advantage of opportunity. While others are waiting the recession out, you can get a head start on the competition and watch your sales soar and your costs decrease.

To thrive, not just survive–you need to get ahead of the curve. ERP for Small Businesses - A Buyer’s Guide Buyer’s A - Businesses Small for ERP

42 Take advantage of shifting Visibility into customer behavior is critical. An integrated CRM solution allows companies to improve the customer market trends and thrive in experience and more effectively convert leads and prospects a post-recession economy: into paying customers.

1. Get a head start—start reinvesting The bottom line: Improve your customers’ experience capital now and watch your top-line grow. Most companies will wait for the recession to be declared officially “over” before they begin spending again. Beat the 3. Free up cash flow—the true measure crowd and start planning for strategic capital spending now– of a successful business on R&D, IT infrastructure, and enterprise resource planning Improving the bottom-line improves cash flow. Another (ERP) systems. It may seem counterintuitive, but if you plan way to spur growth is to find creative and effective ways to for strategic capital spending in key areas now, you’ll save in reduce your costs. Use your ERP solution to get costs under the short- and long-term and end up lowering your overall control, without increasing resources or operating costs. cost structures. More effective supply chain processes reduce waste. Better planning reduces expenses.

Vendors are more flexible now. Some vendors are offering longer-term agreements, so you can better predict costs. The bottom line: Improve bottom-line revenues and free up your cash flow.

Explore on-demand solutions; alternative deployments methods can reduce your licensing and hardware 4. Do more with less infrastructure costs. Now is the time to optimize workflows to be smarter, more efficient, and more productive. When the recovery starts

The bottom line: Invest now, save later—and beat the to gather momentum, you’ll already be a lean machine. If crowd. you have had to lay off employees or freeze staffing levels, minimize “brain drain” effects by centralizing data and 2. Position yourself to benefit from making your internal processes more efficient. pent-up customer demand Improving the customer experience is critical to retaining– Automating processes, such as reporting, can save time and and attracting–customers in any economy. Signals pointing enable you to do more with less. ERP for Small Businesses - A Buyer’s Guide to a recovery will help your customers gain confidence. Focus now on building strong relationships with customers, The bottom line: Streamline and automate your targeting those in growth industries. As the economy begins processes, and do more with less. to turn the corner, you’ll benefit from your customers’ pent- up demand.

43 5. Tap into business critical information Sage so you can make faster and better 13888 Wireless Way, Suite 120 decisions Richmond, BC Your data may be your most important competitive tool. To V6V 0A3 respond to market trends in a more agile way, you have to (866) 520-0538 know how your business is operating on a day-to-day basis. www.SageNorthAmerica.com

Make sure you have access to reliable data so you know The information contained in this material represents the what to do next and so you can quickly react to shifting views of Sage on the issues discussed herein current as of the economic conditions and seize opportunity. Real-time date of publication. As market conditions are always subject business intelligence will give you more transparency into to change, the information contained herein shall not be your operations and support better decisions. interpreted as any commitment from Sage. This material is for informational purposes only and Sage makes no warranties, The bottom line: With reliable business critical expressed or implied. information, you can quickly react to shifting economic conditions and seize opportunity.

The post-downturn economy will redefine the way you do business and the way companies compete.

Agile companies are not just weathering the downturn, they’re actively preparing for the post-crisis world. Will you be ready? ERP for Small Businesses - A Buyer’s Guide Buyer’s A - Businesses Small for ERP

44 Case Study

Pronto Software | Success never tasted so good

Pronto Software delivers custom ERP solution to Chicago’s top frozen pizza company.

When the winning run from a baseball game shattered the front window of their tavern, Mary and Vincent Grittani decided to name it the Home Run Inn. That was 1923. Today, what started as a small neighbourhood bar cooking up homemade pizza, is a market leader in the world’s largest frozen pizza market—Chicago.

Home Run Inn makes and distributes 14 million frozen pizzas a year through a network of 2 food plants and 1 central distribution facility. It has over 1,400 customers from the greater Chicago area in Illinois, through the Milwaukee area in Wisconsin, including Jewel, Dominick’s, and Aldi supermarkets. ERP for Small Businesses - A Buyer’s Guide

45 Legacy IT system limitations

Growth through distribution Scalable solution In 2002, Home Run Inn established a distribution arm in Home Run Inn launched their search for new ERP software partnership with Power Play distributors, giving them total and quickly realised that there were very few off-the-shelf control of the entire supply chain. solutions that would meet their needs. “Our requirements were very specific and driven by the needs of the people who According to IT Director, Kevin Costello, the partnership were delivering our products,” says Costello. set the company up for significant expansion and business growth. “Home Run Inn and Power Play distributors “We needed a piece of software that was user friendly, cost established a direct store delivery system that, over the next effective and had all the functionality across many business five years, would enable us to more than double our market functions in one package,” he adds. share from eight to eighteen per cent,” says Costello. Three months after their initial meeting with the reseller, “This established Home Run Inn as the top-selling brand in PRONTO-Xi, a fully integrated ERP solution was implemented the Chicago area, but it also exposed the limitations of our at Home Run Inn. legacy IT system, which was not scalable for what our future needs were becoming,” he says. Home Run Inn Home Run Inn had been using a legacy ERP system to • Chicago’s top-selling frozen pizza brand manage production and accounting for a number of years, • Employs 175 staff across two but according to Costello, it was not scalable and could not manufacturing plants and one support the company’s future growth. distribution facility • Produces 14 million frozen pizzas each They needed a mobile computing solution where employees year could remotely enter a sales order and generate an invoice • Supplies Jewel supermarkets, Dominick’s, for the customer straight off the truck which fed directly into and Aldi the accounting system. ERP for Small Businesses - A Buyer’s Guide Buyer’s A - Businesses Small for ERP

46 The search for a total ERP system

Continuous enhancements In addition to the financial, manufacturing, distribution, The reliability and inherent scalability of the system has purchasing, and sales features, Home Run Inn was provided also seen a reduction in the number of IT support hours, with a wireless handheld module tailored to meet their point dramatically reducing maintenance costs. of sale requirements. “Unlike our legacy solution, PRONTO-Xi is stable. I no longer

“In addition to providing a total ERP solution, we had need several IT support calls to patch the database,” says designed for us our own hand-held sales order entry module Costello. to function off a Microsoft terminal server for one tenth of the cost of a new sales system,” says Costello.

“Just four months after delivering their original solution, we were offered an upgrade to a more sophisticated handheld module with a barcode scanner capability. PRONTO-Xi has continued to evolve into a more sophisticated and powerful solution as time has gone by,” he says.

Real time benefits According to Costello, the implementation of PRONTO-Xi has Key Benefits seen a significant reduction in data entry errors and far fewer • Cost effective, fully-integrated solution

instances in the duplication of work. • Inherent scalability to support business ERP for Small Businesses - A Buyer’s Guide growth “The real time data entry of PRONTO-Xi was ahead of its time. • Real time data generation improving We were no longer finding discrepancies between customer accuracy and efficiency orders and despatched goods,” says Costello. • Lower IT maintenance costs • Customized to meet specific business Using PRONTO-Xi, sales orders are fully integrated with requirements inventory, accounts receivable, general ledger, and customer relationship management functions. This means that when a sales order is updated, each related area is automatically updated. 47 Vital ERP capabilities underpin growth

Competitive edge Pronto® Software is a global provider of fully integrated Costello believes PRONTO-Xi has played a significant part enterprise management systems. With more than 30 years in the growth of Home Run Inn over the past five years, experience, Pronto Software enables over 1,200 businesses providing the business with the tools it needs to compete to maximize productivity, streamline their supply chains and against larger companies like Kraft Foods and Schwan Foods. deliver superior customer service.

“All of the critical pieces of functionality included in PRONTO- Pronto Software Xi gave us an IT backbone that instantaneously made our North America: 1-888-94 PRONTO company competitive—and helped us double our market World Wide: +61 3 9887 7770 share,” he says. [email protected] www.pronto-software.com

PRONTO-Xi has met every need we have had so far, which has underpinned our growth and made them an exceptional The names of actual companies and products mentioned solution provider and business partner, now and in the herein may be the trademark of their respective owners. No future,” he adds. part of this document may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, in whole or in part, without the prior written permission of Pronto Software Pty Ltd. All rights reserved. Errors and omissions excepted. ERP for Small Businesses - A Buyer’s Guide Buyer’s A - Businesses Small for ERP

48 Case Study

Parksite Laying a growth foundation with Pronto Software

Building products distributor Parksite has been instrumental in marketing some of the most innovative technologies used in the US construction industry. A few of the brands represented include DuPont™ and the full line of Azek® Building Products.

Since its establishment in 1971, Parksite has acquired several new businesses, which has fuelled its growth to a $300 million (USD) company with 350 staff, 12 locations, and 9 distribution warehouses across the Eastern half of the United States. As Parksite expanded its business, it became clear that it needed an integrated technology solution that was flexible and capable of meeting the needs of the construction and remodelling materials industries. ERP for Small Businesses - A Buyer’s Guide

49 Integrated system required for growth

Search for integration By the end of 2001, after acquiring two new businesses, Managed by a Pronto consultant, an intensive training and Parksite was operating with three separate computer systems rollout program ensued over four months, with PRONTO-Xi and it was proving to be unsustainable. going live in January 2003. “We had a great internal Parksite team under the direction of Pronto Software and its reseller

Parksite’s Enterprise Systems Manager, Blake Chadick, said steering the process, ensuring we went live on time, on having the systems running concurrently was causing budget, and with 100 percent accuracy,” he said. administrative headaches. “One system was so highly customized that it couldn’t work with the other business Parksite now has 170 active users on PRONTO-Xi. Integrated units. Another would slow down relative to the number of modules in use include: Accounts Receivable, Accounts users logged in or tasks in process. Consolidation of financials Payable, General Ledger, Inventory, Sales, Purchasing, required a significant manual effort and expertise with Excel. Manufacturing, Advanced Warehousing, and EDI. We reached a point where it was taking us up to thirty days to close the books at the end of each financial period,” he said.

“What we really needed was a single, fully integrated solution that could support our business and its growth.”

After evaluating a number of tier one enterprise IT solutions PARKSITE from providers including JD Edwards and SAP, Chadick said it • Specialized building products distributor was the value-added customer service from Pronto Software • Markets branded and specialty building and its local reseller that led to the selection of its flagship products and surfacing materials enterprise software system, PRONTO-Xi. • Based in Batavia, Illinois • 100 percent employee owned company “Many of the systems offered similar benefits, but we were really impressed with Pronto and their local partner’s willingness and ability to work closely with us to ensure a smooth implementation,” he said. ERP for Small Businesses - A Buyer’s Guide Buyer’s A - Businesses Small for ERP

50 Critical need for a robust WMS

A paperless warehouse With 9 warehouses managing approximately 2 million square Parksite has implemented four facilities to date and plans to feet with 300,000 product orders a year, having a robust roll out WMS across the other five warehouses by year end. warehouse management system (WMS) was critical. Efficient reporting

Parksite recently engaged with Pronto Reseller BSA Inc to PRONTO-Xi Financials has also significantly streamlined the implement PRONTO-Xi Warehouse Management System financial reporting process. “We are able to close our financial (WMS) in its new Chicago warehouse which has helped books on the first day of each month without needing to transform its operations to a paperless environment. work long hours or weekends!” Chadick said. Warehouse personnel are also equipped with RF scanners with order/product information directly feeding from and Another benefit of PRONTO-Xi is the built-in report writing back into PRONTO-Xi. templates, which is used widely across the company. “They’re a really useful feature and it’s easy to generate an entire

“Since rolling out the WMS module, we’ve maintained almost range of reports to suit the varying requirements.” 100 percent inventory accuracy and have a much deeper visibility of our stock,” Chadick said.

“Because all the data is integrated and stored in PRONTO-Xi, there’s no duplication in tracking stock and raising purchase orders is more streamlined. The beauty of PRONTO-Xi is

that it’s all automated and integrated. Every item and its ERP for Small Businesses - A Buyer’s Guide movement is accounted for,” he said.

51 The ERP system of choice

Real time business data Future horizons Parksite also gained real time data on business exceptions Parksite is looking to implement the Advanced Forecasting through PRONTO-Xi which has reaped significant cost module and strengthen their supply chain integration by savings for the company according to Chadick. “We’ve started using PRONTO-Xi iSupplyGlobal. using Alert Intelligence (AI) more often and its been a highly valuable business tool. AI has given us proactive visibility “My company moves fast. I need a business software that is into day-to-day transactions rather than the usual reactive solid, reliable, capable, and responsive. PRONTO-Xi performs research-and-correct model.” as expected, when expected, all without a tremendous amount of overheads. I don’t believe there is much more that KEY BENEFITS can be expected from business software,” Chadick said. • Improved warehouse throughput and mobility • Greater awareness of business exceptions through real “PRONTO-Xi continues to be our ERP of choice.” time alerts • Reduced financial reporting cycle time About Pronto Software • Streamlined trading with customers and suppliers Pronto® Software is an international provider of fully • Flexibility to customize without hindering future integrated enterprise management systems. With more than software releases 30 years of experience, Pronto Software enables over 1,200 customers worldwide to maximize productivity, streamline

“Now we get instant e-mail alerts to potential business their supply chains, and deliver superior customer service. errors such as failing to withdraw a purchase order when a customer cancels or changes a direct-shipped order. If these Pronto Software errors aren’t flagged, they can end up potentially costing us North America: 1-888-94 PRONTO tens of thousands of dollars over the course of a year,” he said. World Wide: +61 3 9887 7770 [email protected] www.pronto-software.com ERP for Small Businesses - A Buyer’s Guide Buyer’s A - Businesses Small for ERP

52 Case Study

J. Schmalz GmbH user report Schmalz and abas Business Software—A long term ERP partnership

Industry Vacuum Technology

Countries USA, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Switzerland, The Netherlands

Project Overview • International implementation • Supporting the company’s process-oriented organization • Integrating eBusiness to reach vendors and customers worldwide

Vacuum technologies simplified with abas ERP

Midsize company J. Schmalz GmbH is a successful provider of vacuum technology. Established in 1910, J. Schmalz GmbH is a leading provider of vacuum technology. abas Business Software (ERP, PPC, MRP, and eBusiness) has been accompanying Schmalz’s success story for over 25 years. Together, Schmalz mastered two reorganizations and entered the international market. abas ERP is not only being used at Schmalz headquarters, but also in France, Italy,

Spain, Switzerland, the Netherlands, and the US. ERP for Small Businesses - A Buyer’s Guide

53 Seeking a modern, flexible system

Process oriented organization decision was made to implement an ERP system. We were Schmalz is a modern, future-oriented company, which asking ourselves if it would be better to select a product develops, produces, and distributes vacuum components, which had already reached its peak or if we should invest in vacuum clamping, vacuum handling, as well as vacuum a flexible, modern system. The decision was made in favor of gripping systems. “We want to enthuse our customers. abas Business Software. We have had a good feeling to have Thanks to a continuous improvement process in the company found a modern, flexible system which is continuously further and process-oriented organization, we are able to provide developed and grows with our requirements. At that time high-quality products at an excellent price/performance ERP systems with an extensive function range were already ratio. This, together with an above-average service and available. But what do I need 100 functions for if I only need consultation competence and high delivery reliability, 30 and if the functionalities, which are additionally required inspires our customers,” says CEO Wolfgang Schmalz, and can only be provided through complex customizing,” adds, “our company IT, structured around our abas Business summarizes Fischer. Software, supports us enormously in this area. With abas ERP we have a flexible ERP system tailored to exactly our Easy to update requirements. The software was implemented in 1992. At that The first reorganization at Schmalz including abas Business time we had about 50 employees, today we employ six times Software took place in 1996. A reorganization from a as many just in our headquarters. The evolutionary system “normal” to an innovative team organization was carried out. approach has perfectly accompanied our expansion over the Everything was now in the group’s responsibility. According years. In today’s fast moving world there is just no security to the motto, ‘Everything is possible’, the IT department will that a product can be produced forever. Flexibility, innovation now only be consulted if an adjustment has to be carried and business spirit are important policies we live up to daily out. Two full-time employees support approximately 200 in our company. It is also important to be independent from concurrent users at Schmalz headquarters. The Head of IT a single economy and to be present on the most important continues: “Due to the upgrade of abas Business Software international markets. abas Business Software fulfills all our our company is in a good position in terms of IT. Every year special requirements,” adds CEO Schmalz. we import a main upgrade. We generally do not need longer than one weekend. When carrying out a main upgrade for Nothing is as constant as change other ERP systems on the market, the application stands still Werner Fischer, long-term Head of IT at Schmalz, clearly for weeks. If I compare this to ABAS, we have made the right remembers the ERP implementation. “Before 1992 we were decision.”

ERP for Small Businesses - A Buyer’s Guide Buyer’s A - Businesses Small for ERP using index cards to make postings in the warehouse. The

54 “We have a partner we can trust.”

Good software without a good Many well-known providers from that time are no longer on partner does not work the market, but ABAS is continually growing. We really like Schmalz and ABAS are midsize companies. The cooperation ABAS’ independence from banks and investors. We have a with ABAS started almost 20 years ago. It has paid off for both partner, which we can trust.” Multilingualism is an important companies since Schmalz only wanted to work with one IT factor for Schmalz when it comes to the long-term security of provider—who would be as important to them as the other its investment in abas ERP. The vacuum specialist optimizes way around. This became apparent when looking at possible internal processes beyond borders. Only one click in abas influences on further software development. If there is a need ERP is necessary to create a new product and data will be for action, Schmalz is able to contact ABAS management, available in all Schmalz ERP locations worldwide. product department, development, and even the software company’s founder quickly. Schmalz is actively participating Transparent and optimized processes with the abas ERP user group. The user group communicates During the reorganization project, three individual business online and meets once or twice a year. Employees from areas were represented. These business areas are now the development and support groups of ABAS Software working in a process organization with individual cost AG are also invited to those meetings. Direct exchange of responsibility, which are represented in abas ERP. “Now we information is highly efficient and provides all participants have transparent and optimized processes,” says Head of IT, with a good orientation of the software’s development. Fischer. In the new structure, a customer order is recorded by sales order processing of the respective area. An availability Long-term ERP partner check as well as scheduling is started automatically. The A standard business software which has to be exchanged paperless process is directly sent to the warehouse and will

every few years is out of the question for Werner Fischer, “For be displayed in outstanding deliveries. Picking takes place in ERP for Small Businesses - A Buyer’s Guide us, abas ERP is essential. All processes must be represented form of labels. By clicking on a single button, abas infosystem securely and quickly, today and in the next five years. creates the packing slip and the invoice will be generated Requirements of our customers are continually increasing. and printed automatically. Through the evolutionary and flexible system approach of abas ERP we have just the right system for this. Looking at the economic situation of our ERP provider, our decision for ABAS at the beginning of the nineties was the right thing to do.

55 30 percent reduction in lead times

Increasing productivity and information needed for daily work. Everyone can also actively saving costs participate in standard applications such as wikis, online Through reorganization, the error ratio at Schmalz was forums, or surveys. The applications integrated into abas reduced considerably. Increased transparency and an up to ERP via portlets enable entirely new forms of networking.” 30 percent reduction of lead times results in cost savings and Schmalz is in a good position for an innovative and successful increased productivity. It is now possible to carry out a target future. group-specific data export via a multilingual product catalog. This increases efficiency at the vacuum specialist. Schmalz Schmalz is a family-run company and acts long term. Its High performance workplace philosophy is based on the principle of sustainability and Schmalz uses abas portal integrated in abas Business economic success, while respecting environmental and Software. Portals have become an essential tool of business social responsibilities. This ensures independence and the intelligence and communications. They enable a flexible necessary freedom of management. As a company with 450 exchange of information. Companies can specifically use data employees that acts globally and offers innovative products from various software applications, can link them, connect and services, Schmalz provides its customers efficient them to information from the world wide web, and represent solutions tailored precisely to their particular applications’ them in a structured way for different target groups. Head of IT requirements. Schmalz inspires its customers everywhere Fischer said “abas Portal technology enables new possibilities with production processes that are designed more efficiently to optimize knowledge management and communication through the use of vacuum technology. with our customers and vendors. Every employee is able to create an individual workspace with applications and

ERP for Small Businesses - A Buyer’s Guide Buyer’s A - Businesses Small for ERP

56 Vendor profile

ABAS SOFTWARE AG ABAS is uniquely qualified to successfully implement ABAS Software AG international projects. No other company has the combination International Marketing of a unified partner network, strategic orientation, globally +49 (0)721 /96723-0 enabled software, and international implementation [email protected] methodology that defines the roadmap to success. ABAS Software AG is a leading provider of cost-effective ERP ABAS Software AG solutions for midsize manufacturers and distributors. More Südendstraße 42 than 2,200 customers have chosen ABAS as their IT specialist 76135 Karlsruhe and work successfully with the internationally applicable GERMANY abas Business Software. ABAS, established in 1980, has +49 (0)721 /96723-0 now become a global network of companies. ABAS has [email protected] more than 600 employees and 50 software partners. abas www.abas-software.com software partners provide a wide range of services including implementation, customization, hardware and network support. ABAS also provides on-site support and ensures short reaction times and high quality services. International partners in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey, Czech Republic, Slovak Republic, Poland, Ukraine, Russia, the Netherlands, France, Italy, Spain, Iran,

Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, ERP for Small Businesses - A Buyer’s Guide Thailand, China, Hong Kong, Australia, Mexico, and the USA represent the ABAS Software AG throughout the world.

57 Case Study

User Report: Weinig Group

Industry Mechanical Engineering Countries: Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, China, USA, France, Brazil, South Africa, England, Russia, Singapore, Japan, Australia Project Overview • Expand global operations • Synchronizing production plants worldwide • Simplify administration and communication

Global and Local Success with abas ERP

Weinig Group is an international technology provider for the solid wood processing and distribution industry. It offers extensive services and system solutions all the way up to ready-to-use production plants. In addition to its headquarter in Germany, Weinig has production locations and sales offices around the world: in Sweden, Switzerland, China, USA, France, Brazil, South Africa, England, Russia, Singapore, Japan, and Australia. Company acquisitions have led to various ERP systems at Weinig Group. To support continued growth, Weinig went on the market looking for a new ERP system for its locations in China, Switzerland, Spain, France, and the USA. abas Business Software met all of Weinig’s requirements and was successfully implemented. ERP for Small Businesses - A Buyer’s Guide Buyer’s A - Businesses Small for ERP

58 High demands for unique solution

International ERP selection projects. Corporate management and project management “Choosing a new ERP system is not an everyday event,” of both Weinig and ABAS are represented in an executive explains Alexander Walter, CIO of the Weinig Group, “in committee. The entire project management was in my our case the demands were very high.” An important hands.” criterion for Weinig was an international implementation methodology. Headquarters wanted a contact partner on Each Weinig location provides a local project manager the side of the provider who would implement the concepts and the abas software partner provides a project manager from headquarters at the country locations where the new on site. Country project managers regularly report to the software would be used. A smooth, international coordination overall project manager, who in turn reports to the executive of the ERP project had to be guaranteed. committee. Advantage of this procedure: each country’s particularities can be optimally represented in abas ERP. In

Weinig locations were asked to participate in the software the case of Yantai, the functionalities available for China also selection process. Key users from Yantai (China) evaluated spoke in favor of abas ERP. the competing software packages after they were presented. Points were awarded for functionality, user interface, user ABAS made a good impression in the system presentations friendliness, and overall impression of the system. in both Germany and China. Ongoing maintenance costs were lower than those of other providers and abas Business Choosing abas Business Software Software performed best especially when total costs were Weinig found what it was looking for in abas Business calculated for the next five years. Software. ABAS is uniquely qualified to successfully

implement international projects. No other company has ERP for Small Businesses - A Buyer’s Guide the combination of an unified partner network, strategic orientation, globally enabled software, and international implementation methodology that defines the roadmap to success.

“The international abas project management won us over,” says Walter when explaining the decision. “In international projects, different management levels must be optimally linked to each other. We wanted a central management of

59 Incomparable results

Successful software implementation in accepts the offer, abas ERP transforms it into a sales order multiple countries and sends the customer a sales order confirmation. Then the packing slip is generated and goods are sent. After creating The CIO and overall project manager for Weinig summarizes an invoice based on the packing slip, data is then sent to the project as follows: “the highly motivated employees from financial accounting integrated into abas Business Software. ABAS gave us the highest level of efficiency and constructive communication during the project. In the process, we even Walter sees the advantages of abas ERP primarily in its learned a lot about our own company. Project management continuity: “It is now ensured that data is up-to-date at any was fast and professional, and project costs were below point in time. Time saved in creating purchase orders in Spain budget. I am sure that we would not have been able to is considerable. Communication errors no longer occur when achieve such a result with any other provider.” transferring data electronically. The best part about it is that language does not make any difference. A company-wide In China, the local abas Partner, ABAS Business Solutions language translation system has been integrated into abas (PRC) Ltd., is also responsible for Weinig. When asked about Business Software. Another advantage is that abas Software benefits achieved, Walter replied, “Weinig China shows a Partner in Spain, Abas Business Solutions Ibérica, is located clearly optimized supply chain management in purchasing, near Weinig’s office in Madrid. We therefore did not have to sales, and production. Up to now, purchases recorded travel very far for things like training and implementation. and managed previously estimated amounts of materials Next we want to implement abas ERP in France according and set the corresponding delivery dates manually. Now, to the Spanish model. ABAS has a software partner there as a purchase order suggestion is automatically generated well.” by the system using production data. That speeds up the purchasing process, ensures sufficient warehouse quantities for JIT delivery schedules, and avoids mistakes that arise from Weinig Group Weinig Group is an international technology provider calculating manually.” for solid wood processing and distribution. Weinig offers

Global and local success extensive services and system solutions, all the way up to ready-to-use production plants. In addition to headquarters If Spanish employees identify themselves on the server in in Germany, five other production locations as well as sales Germany when handling a spare part, all actions will then be branches are located around the globe. carried out in Spanish. First, abas ERP identifies the product and checks whether it has already been created. If this is not

ERP for Small Businesses - A Buyer’s Guide Buyer’s A - Businesses Small for ERP the case, it will be imported into the system. If the customer

60 Case Study

SYSPRO Case Study: Daprano & Company

Name of Company: e-mail: Daprano & Co. [email protected] Address: Number of employees: 1930 Center Park Drive Six Charlotte, NC, USA Solution: Telephone Number: SYSPRO +1 704-927-0590 Revenue: Website: $5M www.daprano.com

The Company

When Mick Sidari was looking to buy Daprano & Company in 2003, he wanted to bring something extra special to the specialty food business. The company was an importer and distributor of premium specialty chocolates, candies, and cakes from all over the world, and Sidari recognized the potential for Daprano to become a major player in the specialty food industry. Armed with an extensive background in premium food products and a passion for quality, Sidari knew that taking Daprano to the next level meant giving it a service facelift.

“The company had some really nice product, and I thought if I could improve the service and freshness of goods, that volume would increase and it would drive the overall revenue,” Sidari says. He knew the place to start was at the

base of operations—Daprano needed to streamline the purchasing, invoicing, and selling processes, as well as get ERP for Small Businesses - A Buyer’s Guide control of their delectable inventory.

Daprano carries a long list of elegant treats from across the sugar-coated globe. The Charlotte, North Carolina-based company sources 21 different lines of specialty foods from 6 different countries. Daprano’s sophisticated victuals are on the shelves in high-end stores throughout the country. The company markets through a national network of specialty food brokers, as well as at various specialty-food trade shows annually. Most of the sales take place between the Daprano Web site, third party catalogues, and the brokers themselves.

61 SYSPRO improves everyday operations

The Challenge The Solution When Sidari bought the company, he was told that one of However, he continued to use SYSPRO in the meantime, the challenges was going to be keeping track of inventory and after about nine months Sidari realized it actually did and actually ordering the products from the suppliers. have the tools to improve the day-to-day operations, such “The previous owner had a lot of trouble with the orders— as managing ordering and inventory, and that maybe they he regularly had a five to seven day lag and was usually weren’t being applied properly in the past. “Very quickly, carrying a disproportionate amount in back orders,” he says. I realized that SYSPRO could satisfy the business’ needs,” Immediately, he looked at changing the software, thinking he recalls. “I decided SYSPRO would be the answer for my that it must have not been the right fit for the business and business, and I decided to stay with it.” Today, the six-person was causing some of the drag. Daprano had been using company runs a four-user system on Windows XP. SYSPRO ERP, and Sidari figured that was part the problem. “I take pride in my service,” he declares, “and when I bought As opposed to a manufacturer, a distributor like Daprano the company I wanted to fix it.” So he began looking for a need not be concerned with the entire manufacturing- replacement system. specific ERP suite. Rather, says Sidari, they use the software for basic day-to-day functions such as purchase orders, buying, inventory control, invoicing, and tracking sales history. ERP for Small Businesses - A Buyer’s Guide Buyer’s A - Businesses Small for ERP

62 Total control over inventory

The Results is service. You can’t believe how good the service is from Daprano!’ That was great to hear,” he says. “Some of our larger One of the undisputed features of the specialty food industry, customers have shared these same accolades with us. These whether a company is a manufacturer or distributor, is that successes have lead to customer partnerships and business business tends to be seasonal. “It’s usually fourth quarter expansion in the last 24 months. It is great to be recognized business,” explains Sidari, “and most of it is gift-giving. Think as a solid supplier,” admits Sidari. “And that all goes back to of it from a consumer’s perspective: if you gave a gift this year, inventory control, ordering processes, and service, which is you may not necessarily want to give the same gift the next where the SYSPRO system helps out.” year. So, over 50 percent of the product offerings change each year to satisfy the consumers’ ever-changing needs.” In this

business of irregular sales patterns, having accurate history is critical to a company’s ability to project into the future, as they have one shot—that famed fourth quarter—to bring About SYSPRO SYSPRO is a fully integrated enterprise software solution that in the majority of the year’s revenue. SYSPRO helps Daprano provides mid-market manufacturers and distributors total manage the seasonal nature of their business by giving them control over the planning and management of all facets of a clear and accurate window into their history, enabling them business. SYSPRO’s “PragmaVision” approach—pragmatic, to properly forecast sales and plan accordingly. yet visionary—reflects the standards of its customers, who demand a unique combination of robust, scalable, yet The best offense against such heavily lopsided market current technologies. For additional information on SYSPRO, share, then, is superior customer service, Sidari’s specialty. He call Stanley Goodrich at +1 714-437-1000 or go to www. understands that by having total control over and visibility

syspro.com. ERP for Small Businesses - A Buyer’s Guide into its inventory, Daprano always knows exactly what it has on hand and what it needs to fulfill expected demand in the upcoming period. With precision like that, he says, “If you place an order on an everyday item, and you place an order before two o’clock, it goes out the same day.”

That kind of customer service has not gone unnoticed in the industry. One of Daprano’s brokers recently pulled Sidari aside to share with him some encouraging feedback. “He told me, ‘Every time I make a sale, one of the selling points to Daprano

63 Spotlight on Financials Case Study

Corefino Case Study—CHPCC

Corefino Saves Health Services Organization Up to 27 Percent in Annual Accounting Costs

Overview Founded in 2001, Children’s Hospice and Palliative Care Coalition (CHPCC) is leading the way to bring about lasting, fundamental change in California’s treatment of seriously ill children and their families. Through CHPCC’s direct efforts, the federal government has approved a pediatric hospice eligibility waiver, which is resulting in dramatic policy reform within the state’s pediatric health care system. For the first time in California history, children diagnosed with a life-threatening condition will have access to an innovative model of care that allows them to obtain commuinity-based hospice and palliative services while continuing to receive curative treatment. This is a remarkable achievement and a significant milestone towards ensuring fair and equal access to pediatric palliative care for our state’s children for generations to come.

In addition to its advocacy efforts, CHPCC has several active programs, which provide direct and virtual support to families of children with life-threatening conditions.

CHPCC has experienced rapid growth since its inception, with pilot sites scheduled to roll out in 13 counties statewide, including San Diego, Los Angeles, Fresno, and several in the Bay Area over the next three years. ERP for Small Businesses - A Buyer’s Guide

65 The need

The founders of Children’s Hospice and Palliative Care reduction, security, and better integration with existing Coalition, Lori Butterworth and Devon Dabbs, sought a infrastructure. It also offers a great deal of scalability, which is sophisticated accounting solution that would grow with the essential to meet the needs of growing businesses who want business. “We needed to keep close accounting of how our to avoid technology issues and mounting costs as they scale funds are spent and provide detailed reports back to our out operations. contributing foundations,” said Dabbs. “Plus, our programs were growing via an e-commerce component on the Web According to Corefino CEO and Founder Karen Watts, site for selling custom jewelry that carries the words of Corefino is helping customers make the “big switch” from children, as well as T-shirts and note cards. “We needed to the “big 3” ERP applications and stay at their peak of value track inventory and share proceeds with our partners,” she to corporate management and shareholders. In the case of said. “We knew that our accounting would become much CHPCC, Corefino also provides scalability and accountability. more complicated than we were prepared to manage.” “We try to stay on top of foundation reports when they’re due, but it’s challenging when other priorities interfere,” CHPCC signed with Corefino and gained Corefino’s “Triple said Devon. “Corefino helps us meet the specific needs of a Play” solution combining quality accounting team support, growing non-profit organization.” cloud-based accounting services, and Corefino’s Triple-C Platform. This unique platform lets companies connect, The Triple-C Platform correct, and comply using proven best practices, technical Corefino’s Triple-C Platform includes more than 500 business resources, and hands-on finance and accounting expertise. processes, workflow, and quality assurance checks and reviews that ensure accounting functions are done right the first time. Additionally, a dedicated Corefino account manager is Corefino’s market differentiating Triple-C capabilities provide available to respond quickly to inquiries and requests. a highly vetted, factory style framework that allows customers to connect, correct, and comply. “Corefino is our accounting edge,” said Dabbs. “The combined solution keeps our financials in line and provides • Connect: Leverage the newest 21st century technologies the reporting we need to report to our Board and our to safely and securely operate accounting solutions in the community.” Internet cloud. • Correct: Ensure a level of excellence via a highly educated and skilled team of accounting industry professionals, Corefino’s platform is delivered over the Web for a fixed within a framework that ensures accuracy. monthly fee, providing financing and accounting expertise, • Comply: Meet the plethora of current and changing

ERP for Small Businesses - A Buyer’s Guide Buyer’s A - Businesses Small for ERP proven best practices, and industry-leading software as a financial rules, regulations, and compliances that affect service (SaaS) technology. This SaaS-based model offers mid-market organizations, helping them minimize financial 66 many benefits, including cost/time efficiencies, headcount and legal risk. The benefit

Corefino delivers many benefits to CHPCC, including cost- Devon is planning to leverage Corefino’s accounting savings and greater productivity. The organization saves an expertise as it grows and expands. “We would advise any estimated 15-20 hours per week on daily accounting tasks, company in the health services industry to have a serious while benefiting from Corefino’s accounting expertise and look at the economics behind using Corefino’s three part freeing up resources to focus on other business-critical accounting advantage. When there is so much growth in this activities. Dabbs noted that without Corefino, she would sector and so many other places to deploy on-site resources, have had to pay an on-site bookkeeper an hourly rate of $20- why would you spend them on routine business functions 30 to perform the same functions. This amounts to savings like accounting?” of up to 27 percent annually. “We would have had to spend even more on an accountant to do periodic reporting and reviews,” said Dabbs.

With Corefino on the task, CHPCC is able to maintain We would advise any company in the health compliance with accounting standards, and be ready for “ services industry to have a serious look at the contributor audits at a moment’s notice. “Thanks to Corefino, economics behind using Corefino’s three-part we sailed through a recent audit conducted by one of our accounting advantage. When there is so much largest contributors,” said Dabbs. “We had all the answers.” growth in this sector and so many other places to deploy on-site resources, why would you Another key benefit is the ability to access accounting spend them on routine business functions like information online through Corefino’s Web-based accounting?

customized portal. “Often, we’re in different locations and Devon Dabbs, ERP for Small Businesses - A Buyer’s Guide need to access accounting data,” said Devon. “We can go Co-Founder“ and Co-Executive Director, CHPCC online and pull up the information immediately during meetings or presentations. When you’re limited to in-house software, you don’t have that capability.”

67 About Corefino

Corefino is the “Future of 21st Century Accounting”—a completely outsourced solution for replacing the aging on-premise approach to performing routine financials. Corefino offers a turnkey people/ place/platform combination of outsourced accounting experts, outsourced technology, and its Triple-C (Connect-Correct-Comply) best practices/workflow framework. By removing the on-site technology and headcount headaches from mid-market CFOs and controllers, Corefino helps them to become strategic accelerators capable of more meaningful business impact.

Corefino operates on a variety of software as a service (SaaS)- based platforms via monthly subscriptions and has formed strategic partnerships including ADP, EASi, and Intacct. Corefino has vertical market expertise in digital home services, electronic gaming, health services, municipal government, regional corporate offices, alternate energy and clean technology focused companies. Corefino services include reconciliation, GAAP-based financials, plus others that facilitate monthly/quarterly/annual closes, IPO and merger preparation, etc. The company was founded in 2004. The Triple-C platform was completed in 2006 and the company received capitalization in 2008 to challenge the mid-market ERP leaders. Corefino, recognized as a candidate for InformationWeek’s 2009 Top 50 Start-Ups, is based in Sunnyvale, CA, USA. For more information on the company, please see www.corefino.com.

Corefino: The Future of 21st Century Accounting ERP for Small Businesses - A Buyer’s Guide Buyer’s A - Businesses Small for ERP

68 Case Study

OpSource Improves Global Business Management and Streamlines Revenue Recognition with Intacct

Need for Multi-entity Support and Integration with Salesforce CRM Drives Change to a New Financial Management Solution OpSource is a Santa Clara, California-based technology firm that helps Software as a Service (SaaS) and web companies more effectively develop and deploy applications. Since it was founded in 2002, OpSource has expanded beyond the U.S. to include operations in the United Kingdom, Ireland and India. Today, in order to ensure ongoing success, the company balances an aggressive growth plan with tight operational budgets.

Like many companies, OpSource has experienced some growing pains. The company was using another SaaS financial application previously, but due to its single-entity set-up the finance team was struggling with how to effectively track and manage its expanding international operations. Furthermore, with no integration between that solution and its Salesforce CRM system, inefficiencies around contract management and the timely payment of invoices were causing additional headaches.

As a SaaS company, OpSource also deals with contracts that require complex revenue recognition schedules. The finance team was managing much of this work in Excel spreadsheets, which required duplicate data entry and increased the risk for errors. This complicated the company’s close and consolidation processes, weakened financial controls and prevented OpSource from having a consolidated view of the company financial statements, forcing them to evaluate other solutions. After a thorough competitive review, OpSource chose Intacct as its new financial management system.

Bryant Tolles, senior director of finance and accounting at OpSource, commented, “The way the previous system ERP for Small Businesses - A Buyer’s Guide worked, we were relying on multiple spreadsheets for tracking individual country budgets, and had a lot of highly manual processes. Intacct offered us a way to automate these processes and improve our financial controls.”

“We also wanted a solution that provided enhanced reporting and global visibility, from a vendor that offered comprehensive support,” added OpSource’s chief financial officer. “Intacct’s reputation for customer satisfaction is terrific and we have found their team to be both knowledgeable and responsive, and their commitment to our success was unparalleled.”

69 Improved financial controls

Intacct Delivers Effective Multi-entity now takes only days versus weeks,” said OpSource’s CFO. Management and Improved Revenue “In addition, Intacct’s advanced contract management Management functionality allows us to more easily and accurately Intacct provides OpSource with a complete on-demand recognize and forecast revenues. All this has freed up time financial management system. The multi-entity and multi- to allow the finance team to analyze data like we never could currency capabilities ensure OpSource can independently before.” manage finances on a country-by-country basis, and then automatically create a consolidated view of the entire OpSource Challenges business. The finance team can quickly analyze data along • Needed support for multi-entity and multi- different dimensions, whether by business entity, region currency management or country and evaluate both local and consolidated key • Wanted improved revenue recognition performance indicators as needed. In addition, by having processes and better reporting all entities in one system they can automate intercompany • Looking to integrate its CRM and financial transactions and eliminate the need to manually reconcile applications to improve operations intercompany balances—reducing both time and errors. Previous Solution Since deploying Intacct, OpSource has also gained improved • Mid-sized on-demand system financial controls and better support for its revenue recognition models. Instead of having to manage revenue Results with Intacct recognition using complicated spreadsheets, Intacct’s • Global business management capabilities contract and revenue management features automate the support financial operations in four locations management of deferred revenue and revenue recognition worldwide and optimize contract renewals. The system includes built-in • Automated revenue recognition process reports to help the finance team quickly and easily forecast improves efficiency deferred, recognized and renewal revenue so they can have • Tight integration between Intacct and instant access to reliable, accurate business forecasts. Salesforce CRM streamlines processes • Significantly shortened close and consolidation “Intacct provides all the functionality a growing company like process from weeks to just days OpSource needs to efficiently manage our global financials. • Enhanced reporting and analytics capabilities

ERP for Small Businesses - A Buyer’s Guide Buyer’s A - Businesses Small for ERP Our close and consolidation process across our four entities improve business insight

70 Robust reporting capabilities

Integrating Front and Back-office Intacct provides OpSource with a flexible financial system Systems Improves Efficiency; Enhanced that enables them to gain better oversight of their business Reporting Increases Business Visibility as the company grows. By automating previously manual OpSource has extended Intacct beyond the finance team to processes, Intacct is also helping OpSource to become more enable almost 200 employees to create and submit expense efficient and, ultimately, more agile as a business. reports. They also took advantage of Intacct’s pre-built integration to Salesforce CRM. The integration allows account “The improvement Intacct offers us in visibility and managers in the field to have instant access to customers’ automation makes it possible for us to improve the way contract and payment status, eliminates a significant amount we run the entire company; but they also improve our of duplicate data entry and ensures the Sales and Finance effectiveness,” commented OpSource’s CFO. “We believe teams are always working with the same data. we’ll be able to grow much larger with the same finance staff we have in place and avoid hiring two to three full-time

OpSource is also benefiting from Intacct’s robust reporting people over the next 18 to 24 months, so the hard dollar ROI capabilities to gain added business visibility. Intacct enables is very compelling.” the finance team to quickly view all the information they need to do their jobs, without writing any code or learning any new reporting or business intelligence tools. Ad-hoc Intacct provides all the functionality a growing company reporting capabilities also allow OpSource to generate “ like OpSource needs to efficiently manage our global specific financial reports tailored to their business needs. financials. Our close and consolidation process across Moving forward, OpSource plans to expand their use of our four entities now takes only days versus weeks.

dashboards to provide the management team with a quick, ERP for Small Businesses - A Buyer’s Guide CFO visual snapshot of business performance. “ OpSource

“In our first few months of use, Intacct is already helping us to more effectively manage our financial operations, and I see the potential for increasing our benefits even further,” added Bryant Tolles. “I’ve been able to create custom reports within Intacct that deliver greater insight into our business, and I’m now working on dashboards that will give company management an instant view into expected revenues and cash flow.” 71 About Intacct

Intacct is the market and technology leader in on-demand financial management and accounting applications for businesses and CPA firms. Bringing cloud computing to finance and accounting, Intacct’s award-winning applications are the preferred financial applications for AICPA business solutions. Intacct applications are used by thousands of businesses, from startups to public companies, and are designed to improve company performance and make finance more productive. The Intacct system includes accounting, contract management, revenue recognition, inventory, purchasing, vendor management, financial consolidation, and financial reporting applications, all delivered over the Internet via software as a service (SaaS).

If you would like to learn more about Intacct, please visit www.intacct.com or call 877-437-7765 to speak to a representative today. ERP for Small Businesses - A Buyer’s Guide Buyer’s A - Businesses Small for ERP

72 Case Study

Sage Accpac Extended Enterprise Suite Enables Island Lake Resort to Grow Despite Stiff Competition

The Island Lake Resort Group offers wilderness adventures, such as Cat skiing and heliskiing in the Canadian Rockies. Founded 20 years ago by three locals, the Group now boasts 230 employees and five companies that include restaurants and three resorts: Island Lake Lodge, Powder Cowboy, and Mica Heliskiing.

“Over the past ten years,” said Darryn Shewchuk, director of sales and marketing, “The number of back country adventure operations in the Canadian Rockies—which comprise more than 90% of the worldwide market—has tripled. Yet skier days have remained constant. This means the environment is much more competitive.” To grow, the Group wanted an enterprise-wide CRM system that would enable it to improve its marketing. In addition, after many years successfully using Simply Accounting by Sage, the Group wanted to move to an enterprise-class accounting system that could accommodate its expanding operations.

“We chose Sage Accpac ERP and SageCRM,” explained Shewchuk, “because they allowed us to not only integrate accounting and CRM data but also data from our third-party point-of-sale and reservation systems. This gives us complete information about customers and prospects for all of our companies. These applications are Web based, which is important because we travel constantly and need access. They’re scalable, enterprise products that can handle our growth. And they’re fully customizable.” ERP for Small Businesses - A Buyer’s Guide

73 Sage Accpac ERP manages growth

Customer Results Island Lake Resort Sage Accpac has given the Group a huge competitive advantage. Bookings have increased by as much as 50% Industry year-over-year since implementation. Hospitality and Restaurant The move from Simply Accounting to Sage Accpac has Location enabled the Group to manage rapid growth. The Sage Accpac British Columbia, Canada database is powerful enough to handle all of the Group’s customer records. Because all of the applications share data, Number of Locations duplicate data entry has been eliminated. Accounting data 3 from all the resorts and restaurants can now be consolidated or used to create detailed reports and financial statements Number of Employees for each company and department. Said Bonnie Pelletier, 230 controller, “Because we no longer create these reports manually, we’ve saved two or three days each month.” System Sage Accpac ERP The Web-based implementation of Sage Accpac also enables SageCRM the accounting department to better meet the needs of different businesses. For example, said Pelletier, “Because I’m Challenge the only one qualified to oversee accounting, we previously Over the past ten years, competition in back country had to do all our accounting in one physical location. adventure skiing operations has tripled while the number However, one operation wanted to pay its bills onsite. Now, of skiers has remained constant. Island Lake Resort Group Sage Accpac makes all of this information available through needed to market more effectively to remain profitable— the Web so I can oversee that operation online.” and grow.

Solution Sage Accpac Extended Enterprise Suite provides SageCRM to manage comprehen¬sive customer and prospect details,

ERP for Small Businesses - A Buyer’s Guide Buyer’s A - Businesses Small for ERP enabling more effective marketing of its tours; Sage Accpac ERP to manage growth; as well as POS and reservations 74 systems. Increased business at competition’s expense

SageCRM enables the Group to maintain profitability and With this customer and prospect database in place, the grow quickly despite intense competition. group now uses SageCRM to manage e-mail marketing campaigns to keep seats full. Explained Shewchuk, “SageCRM As with airline tickets, seats on a Cat skiing or heliskiing tour allows us to contact a huge number of people likely to be are perishable. For example, on any given day, a heliskiing interested and offer them a last-minute discount, which is tour can accommodate four groups of four people. If one seat better than having an empty seat. We can also slice and dice is empty, that helicopter loses 25% of its revenue—and all of our customer data to create targeted marketing campaigns its profit. Therefore it is essential for the company to keep that appeal to different demographics.” tours full. The Group uses SageCRM to manage this effort. When these campaigns are completed, SageCRM tracks The first step is finding the limited pool of people interested results and can be used to set up tasks to ensure that nothing in Cat skiing or heliskiing, which costs $600 to $2,000 per day. falls through the cracks. Said Shewchuk, “Previously, we had The obvious place to start is existing customers. “However,” no follow through. SageCRM allows us to be more structured said Shewchuk, “Previously, we had no database of customers in organizing and managing our campaigns.” that everyone could access. Information about existing customers was sitting on waiver forms in boxes and we did When guests call in to make a reservation, clerks using the nothing proactive with them. I used a personal CRM product reservation system make use of the common database to to keep track of guests in one of our operations, but we better serve them. For example, they can see whether the couldn’t expand it to multiple users and multiple locations. guests have skied before or are regular customers—not to Now we have a complete database everyone can access that mention whether they have a balance owing.

contains 6,000 existing and 25,000 potential customers.” ERP for Small Businesses - A Buyer’s Guide The use of SageCRM has helped increase business For the newer Powder Cowboy and Mica Heliguides substantially at the expense of the competition. From 2006 to operations, said Shewchuk, “We didn’t have existing 2007, bookings increased nearly 10% for Island Lake Resort, customers so we had to be proactive about getting new ones. which was already fully booked most of the time; 30% for We ran contests to get the names and contact information Powder Cowboy; and 50% for Mica Heliskiing. Plus, business of people interested in Cat skiing and heliskiing, then used is on pace to continue this trend in the coming season. “Using SageCRM to store these leads in our database.” SageCRM has given us a huge competitive advantage,” said Shewchuk.

75 About Sage North America

Sage North America is part of The Sage Group plc, a leading global supplier of business management software and services. Sage North America employs more than 4,100 people and supports nearly 2.9 million small and medium-size business customers. The Sage Group plc, formed in 1981, was floated on the London Stock Exchange in 1989 and now employs 14,500 people and supports 5.8 million customers worldwide. For more information, please visit the Web site at www.sagenorthamerica.com.

If you would like to learn more about Sage Accpac, please visit www.sageaccpac.com or call 1-866-520-0538 to speak with a representative today. ERP for Small Businesses - A Buyer’s Guide Buyer’s A - Businesses Small for ERP

76 Case Study

Sage MAS 90 is the Perfect Profile for Digital Signal Corporation

Challenge Digital Signal Corporation is a worldwide leader in the Digital Signal Corporation’s entry-level accounting research and development of three-dimensional software lacked job costing functionality and the robust accounting and financial reporting features required by facial recognition systems, a sophisticated and top-secret this government contractor. technology currently being developed for the Department of Defense and other federal agencies. Just six years old, Solution Digital Signal Corporation has grown rapidly, and the growth The Sage MAS 90 suite of modules delivers broad trend is expected to continue as commercial uses for its functionality, powerful features, and a strong technology are uncovered. To safeguard its data and ensure accounting foundation to Digital Signal Corporation. its accounting systems meet governmental requirements, Digital Signal Corporation places its trust in Sage MAS 90 ERP. Results Comprehensive job costing data allows the company “Sage MAS 90 is powerful and flexible. It is fabulous business to better estimate future jobs. Time spent invoicing is management software,” says Patricia Stephan, controller at reduced from one full day to just 30 minutes. Accurate Digital Signal Corporation. “It has completely transformed invoicing and a strong audit trail make the company the way we operate.” eligible to receive electronic payments from the government, improving cash flow. ERP for Small Businesses - A Buyer’s Guide

77 Meeting complex requirements

Customer: Digital Signal Corporation Zero In On a Solution Industry: The company started out using QuickBooks, but as it grew, Technology Stephan says the entry-level software simply did not have Location: the depth and breadth Digital Signal Corporation required. Alexandria, Virginia “We passed the DCAA (Defense Contract Audit Agency) Number of Locations: 1 audit by the skin of our teeth,” she recalls. “And that was only Number of Employees: 22 because I was able to produce paper records to supplement System: what we couldn’t get from QuickBooks.” Sage MAS 90 Sage TimeSheet Digital Signal Corporation needed a robust job costing SageCRM solution capable of tracking the labor and material expenses involved in its development projects. In addition, stalwart financial reporting capabilities were required to enable the company to produce the complex and varied financial statements required by management and the federal government.

Stephan had used Sage MAS 90 extensively in other positions, and recommended the company consider it. In addition, the company reviewed Deltek GCS Premier®, software designed specifically for government contractors. “Sage MAS 90 has it all, right out of the box,” says Stephan. “We were worried Deltek might require too much customization. The business partner representing Sage MAS 90 had experience setting up the Job Cost module for government contractors. When they showed us precisely how it could work for us, we were sold.” ERP for Small Businesses - A Buyer’s Guide Buyer’s A - Businesses Small for ERP

78 A complete electronic financial audit trail

Pinpoint Project Costs Save Time and Improve Cash Flow Labor hours, burden, and overhead for every project are It used to take Stephan one full day to produce a single tracked within the Job Cost module. “We’re at the leading invoice, as she assembled paper time sheets for the month edge of this industry,” explains Stephan, “so all the data we and entered material and labor costs into spreadsheets to can gather about the costs associated with our research and calculate the final billing amount. “Invoicing now takes me development projects is extremely valuable. Using Job Cost about a half an hour,” says Stephan. “Not only is it faster, but we can compare our budgets to actual costs in each category. it’s much more accurate.” Seeing where we exceeded budget or where we’ve saved helps us more accurately quote the next project.” In fact, Digital Signal Corporation’s accurate invoicing and availability of a complete electronic financial audit trail have Digital Signal Corporation uses Sage TimeSheet, an integrated earned it the right to receive funds electronically from its time and expense tracking solution that is both powerful and government customers. “It’s a great boost to our cash flow,” easy-to use. Employees enter their time directly into Sage notes Stephan, “and it wasn’t possible before Sage MAS 90.” TimeSheet. After the time entries are reviewed and approved, those entries flow into the Payroll and Job Cost modules, and in the case of expense entries, into the Accounts Payable module — eliminating the need for duplicate data entry by payroll and administrative staff. “Using Sage TimeSheet and the Job Cost module together, we get an accurate breakdown of labor costs by project and by task,” explains Stephan. “Not

only does that give us better and more reliable job costing ERP for Small Businesses - A Buyer’s Guide data, it saves a significant amount of administrative time otherwise spent handling and entering paper time sheets.”

79 Better, more readily available data

Target Purchasing Efficiencies Sage MAS 90 is also streamlining the purchasing tasks at Digital Signal Corporation. Parts and materials ordered specifically for a project are coded with the job number and expensed immediately upon receipt. As additional items are taken from inventory in support of a project, those items can be issued from the Inventory Management module to the Job Cost module. Staff uses the Item Memo feature to store notes and details about items, including how the item was used and its overall performance. “We’ve simply got better, more useful, and more readily available data,” says Stephan.

The company is also able to monitor its vendors’ performance using the software. By comparing product lead times to actual receipt dates, Digital Signal Corporation can identify those vendors who deliver on their promises, helping to ensure its own projects remain on schedule.

Plan for Growth Digital Signal Corporation is currently implementing SageCRM, which will be used to store customer contact information and the details of its contract with those customers. SageCRM integrates with Sage MAS 90, allowing customer details to flow from one system to the other, ensuring both are always up to date. “As the company moves from research to full production, we expect SageCRM to be of great value as a single location for tracking the details of our customer relationships. We’ve assembled an integrated solution that meets all of our business needs,” Stephan

ERP for Small Businesses - A Buyer’s Guide Buyer’s A - Businesses Small for ERP concludes.

80 About Sage North America

Sage North America is part of The Sage Group plc, a leading global supplier of business management software and services. Sage North America employs more than 4,100 people and supports nearly 2.9 million small and medium-size business customers. The Sage Group plc, formed in 1981, was floated on the London Stock Exchange in 1989 and now employs 14,500 people and supports 5.8 million customers worldwide. For more information, please visit the Web site at www.sagenorthamerica.com.

If you would like to learn more about Sage MAS 90, please visit www.sagemas.com or call 1-800-854-3415 to speak with a representative today ERP for Small Businesses - A Buyer’s Guide

81 Vendor Directory

Toll-free number International-access E-mail address Headquarter location Vendor (US and Canada) phone number

1C Company [email protected] +7495 2584408 Moscow, Russia ABAS Software AG [email protected] +49 (0) 721 96 72 30 Karlsruhe, Germany ABAS-USA Inc. [email protected] +1 703-444-2500 Virginia, USA Access [email protected] +44 1206 322 575 Essex, UK Acclivity [email protected] New Jersey, USA Accountmate Contact form available on Web site California, USA Acumatica [email protected] +1 703-873-7570 Maryland, USA AddonSoftware [email protected] New Mexico, USA Advanced Software [email protected] 1-800-859-6607 Louisiana, USA Agresso [email protected] 1-888-247-3776 Texas, USA ALCiE [email protected] 1-888-252-4350 +1 514-744-3440 Quebec, Canada American Software [email protected] 1-800-726-2946 +1 404-264-5296 Georgia, USA Aplicor [email protected] +1 561-347-0300 Florida, USA BilTAY Teknoloji Contact form available on Web site +90 222 221 24 68 Eskiehir Province, Turkey Bluebee Software [email protected] +1 514-351-5555 Quebec, Canada BlueLink [email protected] 1-877-258-5465 +1 905-660-0599 Ontario, Canada BScaler [email protected] 1-800-735-4311 +1 408-935-3000 California, USA Business Systems of America Contact form available on Web site 1-800-764-4272 North Carolina, USA CDC Software Contact form available on Web site +1 770-351-9600 Georgia, USA Comarch Contact form available on Web site +48 12 64 61 000 Kraków, Poland Compiere [email protected] +1 650-517-5900 California, USA CheckMark Software [email protected] +1 970-225-0522 Colorado, USA Consona [email protected] 1-888-826-6766 +1 317-249-1700 Indiana, USA Corefino [email protected] +1 650-989-7478 California, USA COSS Systems [email protected] 1-877-331-3879 +1 905-361-0990 Ontario, Canada Cougar Mountain Software Contact form available on Web site 1-800-388-3038 +1 208-375-4455 Idaho, USA CyberOptic Group Contact form available on Web site 1-800-376-9704 +1 561-738-2206 Florida, USA Deister [email protected] +34 902 188 080 Barcelona, Spain Epicor Contact form available on Web site +1 949-585-4000 California, USA eresource Infotech [email protected] +91 22 25 827692 Maharashtra, India Exact Software [email protected] +31 15-2624323 South Holland, Netherlands FactoryMaster [email protected] 1-888-446-3856 Virginia, USA Global Shop Solutions Contact form available on Web site 1-800-364-5958 Texas, USA Glovia (Fujitsu) [email protected] 1-800-223-3799 +1 310-563-7000 California, USA HarrisData [email protected] 1-800-225-0585 +1 262-784-9099 Wisconsin, USA

Toll-free number International-access E-mail address Headquarter location Vendor (US and Canada) phone number IBS [email protected] +46 8 627 23 00 Solna, Sweden iLatina B2B Business Services [email protected] +54 11 4326 3604 Buenos Aires, Argentina Industrial Application Software Contact form available on Web site +49 721 9 64 160 Karlsruhe, Germany Infor [email protected] 1-866-244-5479 +1 678-319-8000 Georgia, USA Intacct [email protected] 1-877-437-7765 +1 408-878-0900 California, USA IQMS Contact form available on Web site 1-866-367-3772 California, USA Jeeves Information Systems Contact form available on Web site +46 8 587 099 00 Stockholm, Sweden Lawson Contact form available on Web site 1-800-477-1357 +1 651-767-7000 Minnesota, USA Logo Business Solutions [email protected] +90 262 679 80 00 Kocaeli, Turkey Microsoft Contact form available on Web site Washington, USA Momentis [email protected] +1 514-939-2306 Quebec, Canada Navigator Business Solutions [email protected] +1 801-642-0123 Utah, USA NetSuite [email protected] +1 650-627-1000 California, USA OpenBravo [email protected] Pamplona, Spain Open ERP Contact form available on Web site +32 81 81 37 00 Grand-Rosière, Belgium OpenPro [email protected] +1 714-378-4600 California, USA Open Source Strategies Contact form available on Web site Web-based organization Open Systems [email protected] 1-800-328-2276 Minnesota, USA Oracle Contact form available on Web site +1 650-506-7000 California, USA proALPHA Software Contact form available on Web site +1 603-881-3635 New Hampshire, USA Pronto [email protected] 1-888-94 PRONTO +61 3 9887 7770 Victoria, Australia QAD [email protected] 1-888-641-4141 +1 805-684-6614 California, USA Ramco Contact form available on Web site New Jersey, USA Sage Contact form available on Web site +44 191 294 3000 Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK SAP Contact form available on Web site Walldorf, Germany Solarsoft Business Systems Contact form available on Web site +1 905-224-2222 Ontario, Canada SouthWare [email protected] 1-800-547-4179 Alabama, USA Softrend [email protected] +1 604-983-3389 British Columbia, Canada Syspro [email protected] 1-800-369-8649 +1 714-437-1000 California, USA TOTVS S/A Contact form available on Web site Sao Paulo, Brazil TTW Incorporated Contact form available on Web site +44 121 749 8050 Birmingham, UK Visibility Contact form available on Web site +1 978-269-6500 Massachusetts, USA Visual 2000 [email protected] 1-888-386-4006 +1 514-381-4006 Quebec, Canada WorkWise Contact form available on Web site 1-800-490-9010 +1 414-359-9010 Wisconsin, USA Xperia [email protected] +1 610-433-6511 Pennsylvania, USA xTuple Contact form available on Web site +1 757-461-3022 Virginia, USA Technology Evaluation Centers (TEC) helps private- and public-sector organizations choose the best enterprise software solutions for their unique business needs-quickly, impartially, and cost-effectively. TEC’s online Evaluation Centers, containing IT research and extensive knowledge bases that catalog vendors’ support for thousands of enterprise software features and functions, are the leading resource for IT decision makers around the world. By combining that information with a proven methodology, unique Web-based software selection platforms, and years of software selection expertise, TEC delivers an unmatched range of online software evaluation and selection services that bridge the gap between enterprise decision makers and the vendor/value-added reseller (VAR) community.

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